Time
by SachiNyoko
Summary: Harry Potter crossover. Usagi finds herself on the train to Hogwarts with the mission to protect Harry Potter. But can she pull it off while keeping herself stabilized? :Lee x Usagi: :Implied Helios x Fleur:
1. Prologue: A Game of Chance

"Are you done mopping yet, Tsukino?" The blonde teenager jumped at the voice that sounded behind her, which in turn caused her to spill the bucket of grimy water all over the tiled floor. With a growl, she slammed the end of the mop down in frustration and turned to her coworker with a glare of hatred. The blonde boy grinned from ear to ear, clearly pleased that he managed to upset the girl before him. "How'd you like my Finchster impression?"

"If you don't leave me alone, Tanner, I swear-" She began dangerously, only to be cut off by said boy chuckling.

"Usagi, dearest, you tell me the same thing everyday. 'I swear I'm going to kill you.' I'm still kicking, babe." He said. Usagi's left eye twitched, and she lifted her mop over her head, swinging it violently towards Tanner, who ducked just in time to send the splash of water across the wall behind him.

"Don't call me 'babe'." She spat through gritted teeth. Tanner rose back to full height with his grin bigger than ever.

"Alright, babe. I just thought you'd want to know that there's a new arrival in this room. They'll be here in about 10 minutes." He said. With a glance at the water streaked wall and sopping floor, Usagi's jaw dropped. Swallowing her pride, she latched on to Tanner's shirt.

"No way. Tanner, you _have_ to help me clean this up, I'll never get it done by myself and I can't get fired. Please?" She pleaded with the hugest puppy dog eyes she could muster. Tanner gulped, making his Adam's apple wiggle.

"Um...but that would ruin the whole point of-"

"Please?" She asked again. Tanner sighed and mentally cursed himself.

"Fine," He shrugged.

"Alright, I'll mop up the floor and you do something about the wall." Usagi said cheerfully, grabbing an armful of towels from her cart and slowly soaking up the puddle of water. Tanner grumbled to himself and headed to the linen closet to grab a blanket. With some craftiness and speed, they manage to dry the floor and hand a blanket on the wall over the spill.

Just as they were smoothing the bed sheets, the head nurse, Nikki, wheeled in a rather obese lady. Following her was what must have the woman's family, a large many and a somewhat bony woman with a long, horse-like face. An equally large boy with slick blonde hair trailed his parents in, shadowed by a skinny boy with wild black hair and glasses who had a look on his face that suggested he'd rather be sticking his head in a lion's mouth than stay with the other four people he was accompanying.

"Smith, you're supposed to be cleaning up the cafeteria, _remember_? Get going," Nikki said off the bat with an unpleasant look at the boy.

"Sorry, ma'am," Tanner apologized before leaving the room quickly. Usagi shrunk under the Head nurse's icy gaze and started piling the used towels back onto the cleaning cart she had with her.

"Miss Marjorie Dursley, My name is Nikki Finch; I'm one of the head nurses here at Hammock Retirement Homes. If I'm not on call, there's also Nurse Garrison and Nurse Zworykin. The nurse aids rotate three or four times throughout the day, so there's usually different people checking in all the time. Also, the cleaning staff will pop in from time to time to clean up, like Miss Tsukino is doing right now." The blonde jumped and looked over at her name before stacking the last of the towels and preparing to leave.

"Um…excuse me, Miss Finch." One of the young boys stepped forward, looking at the nurse uncertainly. "Where's the restroom?"

"Tsukino, since you're on your way out, show this boy to the restroom." Nikki ordered.

"Okay." Usagi blinked and motioned for the boy to follow her. Once outside she began to grumble to herself. "Stupid witch, always ordering me around like some personal slave. I'm just supposed to mop the floors and make the beds but now I have to get her coffee and take the garbage to the dumpster and clean up the bed pans. The bed pans! Is there some sort of sanitation law against that? Get the stupid nurse aids to do it."

"Uh..." the boy next to her looked slightly bewildered at the girl's rants, which made her forget what she was complaining about and laugh.

"Sorry, I've been working at this job all summer." She said, "My name is Usagi, what's yours?"

"Harry," he replied with a slight smile on his face. "Usagi doesn't sound like an English name at all."

"Yeah, I know, I'm Japanese. My family and I moved to England earlier this year." Usagi explained brightly.

"Really, how come?" Harry asked. Usagi's smile dimmed.

"Well, my younger brother died last year so we moved out here to be closer to one of my Mom's relatives." She answered quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." Usagi smiled up at Harry as they stopped in front of the restrooms. "You couldn't have known, it was an innocent question. Do you need me to take you back to the room? I can wait for you out here."

"Yeah, I wasn't really paying attention to where we were going." Harry said gratefully. He went into the bathroom while Usagi stood idly to wait for his return. A sudden dizzy spell hit her and she grabbed onto the handle of the cleaning cart to keep from toppling over.

'_Oh, so it finally kicks in at the worst time possible. How convenient. Please, just ten more minutes to walk this guy back to his family._' Whatever entity she was speaking to wasn't listening, as she soon realized. Her breathing started slacking as the room whirled around her. She grabbed the sides of her head as if that would make the dizziness stop and squatted down to the floor.

"What are you doing now, Usagi, praying to Buddha or something?" Tanner teased from above her, dirty wash rag slung over his shoulder from scrubbing the tables in the lunch area. The blonde groaned as his voice distorted in her brain and made her headache worse.

"Not now, Tanner." She whispered at him. He raised his eyebrows at her and squatted down next to her, tilting his head so he could see her face.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked. Usagi groaned and clenched her hands over her ears. Tanner reached his hand out and placed it on her forehead, making the girl flinch. "You have a fever, a bad one I'd wager. Come on; let's go see one of the doctors."

"No." Usagi said flatly pushing his hands away. The action made her lose all remnants of balance she possessed and she fell over onto her back. In any other situation, he would have laughed at her, but his worry overruled any such act.

"Usagi," Tanner protested, reaching for her arm, only to realize she was out cold. He blinked and reached for her wrist, looking at his watch. As he did, Harry emerged from the bathroom, looked around in a confused manner, and then spotted the two on the floor.

"What's going on?" He asked, gazing at the unconscious girl and then at the blonde boy taking her pulse, mouthing numbers to himself.

"Jesus!" He cried looking at Usagi in disbelief. Harry jumped and stared at him inquisitively. Tanner seemed to have just noticed the boy standing next to him, for he turned to him and said, "Hey, will you help me carry her to the waiting room? I need to call an ambulance."

"Uh…yeah," Harry nodded, suppressing all questions he had about what in the world was happening. The two boys carried her to the waiting room, Tanner encouraging a speedy jog. When they reached the nearly empty room, Tanner called out to the lady at the reception desk to call for an ambulance immediately and they both heaved the girl on to the couch.

"She's a lot heavier than she looks," Harry panted. Tanner shot a fleeting look at the blonde.

"Yeah, but if you value your life you won't tell her that." He said knowledgably. Harry raised an eyebrow but didn't question the other boy. Tanner grabbed Usagi's wrist again and starting retaking her pulse, just to be sure he hadn't been mistaken the first time. They waited for several more minutes before the sound of blaring sirens swerved into the front parking lot. Two EMTs jumped out and grabbed their medical kits before rushing into the automatic sliding doors.

"Is she the one?" One of them asked, gesturing towards the girl on the waiting room couch. Tanner nodded.

"She had a fever and was acting sort of snappy, like someone with a bad headache or something, then she just passed out. I'm no doctor, but I tried taking her pulse and it was way lower than whatever is normal." He explained while Harry listened in intensely. A third EMT wheeled a stretcher out from the back of the ambulance while the one standing next to Usagi fixed a blood pressure cuff on her arm and began pumping air into it. A minute later he let out a curse.

"60 over 40," He told the other. They immediately hauled her onto the stretcher while Tanner looked like he was about to faint himself. Harry, knowing absolutely nothing about medical statistics, leaned over to him and asked, "How bad is that?"

"Well, let's just say that the normal is around 120 over 70." He said, with another worried look towards Usagi. He turned to one of the EMTs. "Am I allowed in the ambulance?"

"Are you family?" He asked.

"Cousin," He lied quickly with a nod. The EMT nodded and waved him along.

"Tell Nikki that Usagi's in the hospital and I went with her, okay Marie?" Tanner called back to the receptionist.

"Done," She said and motioned for him to leave. Harry moved like he wanted to go too, but remembered that he was with the Dursleys. Besides, he barely knew the girl anyways, and they'd probably never see each other again. He turned and took a seat in one of the waiting room chairs to wait for his dreaded step family. He knew he'd never find his way back to the room by himself, so he rested his head in his hand and watched the ambulance speed away with its siren's flashing.

* * *

"I still don't know about leaving Marge in that place." Vernon muttered darkly as they drove back towards number 4 Privet Drive.

"Come now, Vernon, it'll be good for her to get away from those ruddy dogs and be peaceful." Petunia said matter-of-factly as she turned the radio dial, trying to find a song.

"I know that but there are some pretty funny things that happen in nursing homes. By the way, what were you doing lounging in the waiting room?" Vernon ranted, slamming on brakes just in time to avoid slamming into a red pickup truck. "Watch the road, pal!"

"Thegirl that was showing me to the restroom passed out and was rushed to the hospital," Harry spoke up after they began moving again.

"Figures," He muttered to himself, "She was probably on drugs." Harry didn't comment, but glared at the trees passing by.

* * *

"Tsukino, Usagi," One the nurses called out, reading from the chart in her hands. A woman with long, wavy blue hair jumped out of her seat like it was on fire and rushed over to the nurse, her husband and Tanner right behind her.

"That's our daughter." Ikuko Tsukino said, holding on to her husbands arm. Tanner stood off to the side rather awkwardly.

"Well, she's currently stable and asleep. It's quite a stroke of luck, she's going to get by with no backlashes, even I'm surprised that she's not in a coma right now." The nurse said in a slightly bewildered tone as she read over the doctor's report again. She pulled the two into the hallway where not so many people were walking by, and those that were didn't care what the group was talking about either way.

"What happened to her? I have no idea what's going on. We've been here for several hours now with absolutely no word." Ikuko said hopelessly.

"Your daughter had an extremely large amount of Tylenol in her system. The doctor believes that it was an intentional overdose, but there's no way of knowing until she wakes up. The reason we brought her to the emergency room was because she passed out while at work, which was actually caused by symptoms of an oncoming virus, probably a flu. The symptoms of acute acetaminophen didn't occur until she got here.

"Once the doctor recognized the symptoms, we pumped her stomach immediately. We also gave her several shots of antibiotics for the virus, which is what you signed the forms for earlier. She's lucky, if we hadn't pumped her stomach when we did, she might be in coma right now, or dead."

* * *

Usagi woke and slowly opened her eyes. The fluorescent lighting above her made her eyes burn, so she quickly closed them again. A repetitive beep sound echoed through the otherwise silent room. Her throat felt severely sore as if someone had shoved something down it, and her stomach felt raw. Discomfort radiated from her left arm, somewhere around the elbow joint. She reached her right arm over and groped around the area gently, realizing that there was some sort of cuff wrapped around the top of it, until she felt the atrocious familiarity of a needle under her skin.

'_I'm in a hospital room. There's a blood pressure cuff on my arm and an IV in the other. This is just great._' She thought to herself.

"Open your eyes, Usagi." A familiar voice called from her left. She slowly obeyed, turning her head to greet the four-legged feline. Luna perched docile on the sill of the open window, staring Usagi down with her stern red eyes. Her tail weaved back and forth, and she almost blended in with the darkness of the night behind her.

"Hey Luna, why are you here?" Usagi asked groggily, feeling like she'd been recently run over with a truck.

"I'm not aloud to visit my owner when she's lying in the hospital?" Luna asked softly. Usagi raised an eyebrow and the cat sighed. "I came with a proposition that I think would be very helpful to you right now, Usagi. Albus Dumbledore contacted me and expressed his desire to transfer you to his school."

"Okay…?" Usagi said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not just any school, Usagi. It's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Also, I believe there's something that you need to take care of there. It may even be where your new destiny begins, and it's a great chance for you to meet some new friends." Luna explained.

"I don't need new friends, Luna, and I'm not a witch." Usagi said.

"Well, technically, you are a witch, in the loosest sense of the word. You do use magic; you just don't use a wand or potions. You have an ability to adapt to their kind of magic and to use a wand, if you wish." Luna replied.

"I guess I'll go then, if I need to. When do we leave?" Usagi asked.

"Now would be best." Luna answered. Usagi looked down at her IV.

"Get me a cotton ball and a band-aid." She sighed, removing her blood pressure cuff. Luna obliged and dropped them in the teenager's lap. Usagi braced herself and pulled the IV out in one swift motion, snatching up the cotton ball and pressing it down before the small hole started to bleed. She placed the band-aid over it tightly and changed into the bundle of clothes that had been discarded in a nearby chair, her work clothes. Luna motioned her to follow her out of the window, and Usagi did, thanking god that they were on the first floor.

* * *

Hey! This is quite different from the original, huh? Several people pointed out to me how vague and inaccurate that the original beginning chapters were, so I decided that it was high time to revise them. I'm happy to say that this is _much_ better than the previous document. shudders in horror at it I hope you agree. If this is your first time reading on this story, be thankful that you didn't have to read the previous monstrosity. I don't think I'm going to revise the other chapters, at least not at the moment, because I need to continue working on the current chapter. Perhaps I'll do it before the story concludes, but for now, ta ta!

SachiNyoko "I see things no one wants to see." (Brittney)


	2. Gringotts

"Luna, please slow down." Usagi pleaded. The black feline in question paused in its venture and turned its head towards the blonde girl behind her. She had tripped and now rested on her knees, which must have been nearly skinned to the bone on the rough concrete sidewalk. Her arms hugged her waist, and she suddenly realized why her stomach felt so raw. The doctors had pumped her stomach, and this also explained the soreness of her throat, where the tube must have been just hours before. She might have thrown up right there, but there was nothing left to vomit.

Also, she noted that they must have given her some sort of sleeping pills, because every time she blinked her eyelids would meld together, and she had to fight to reopen them. Her legs felt light lead weights beneath her as she rose to her feet again.

"What's wrong?" Luna inquired, turning around the face her.

"I'm so exhausted." Usagi explained, feeling that 'tired' would have been a terrible understatement.

"Just a little farther now," Luna said, turning back and continuing down the sidewalk. Usagi sensed that the cat had slowed her pace dramatically, and she was thankful. Her eyes shifted around the street sporadically, trying to keep enough liquid on the surface so she wouldn't have to blink any more than necessary. By the time they stopped in front of a building, her eyes were too blurred to read the sign swinging above the door. She blinked quickly, and focused on the words again.

_The Leaky Cauldron_. She could sense the place was old, worn, and out of place in the enterprise around it, a huge record store on one side and an oversized book store on the opposing side. Ironically, it sounded like a little new age store that sold faulty spell books and lots of incense. As Luna led her through the door, the bustle of the room crashed into her like a wave.

It still held the basicfeel of the shop she'd imagined, dark, stuffy, and creepy as ever, but it didn't include the hocus pocus artifacts that she'd anticipated. Stationed on the worn wooden floors was an assortment of tables, where people lounged, drinking down various drinks and talking amongst themselves. Some were talking loud; some were speaking in hushed whispers, and only a few people were silent. The bartender in the back was the spookiest aspect of the whole place. He was very bald and very toothless, walking around very awkwardly and hunched over, making people drinks.

"Stay here and don't speak with anyone if you can help it, I'll be back in a minute." Luna announced abruptly, speeding towards a door that must have been a restroom. Usagi allowed another blink and looked around aimlessly, feeling very uncomfortable. Several people were glancing at her, one person was all out staring, and they were all whispering to each other. One guy looked like he was thinking of approaching her, until a woman walked up beside her, grabbed onto her arm, and pulled her off to the side, next to a small staircase. Usagi's reaction time was so slow that it took her a few moments to realize she'd even been moved. She was about to scream bloody murder when the woman pressed a finger over her mouth.

"Whoa now, it's me." She said. The voice was absolutely unmistakable, and the scarlet eyes confirmed it.

"Luna?" Usagi asked bewildered, moving said persons hand away from her mouth. She nodded and grinned slightly at Usagi's expression. The human-versioned Luna had long, wavy hair that was the same color as her fur, and probably as long as Usagi's if it was straightened. Her eyes were the same, large and feline looking. She wore a plain set of black robes, ones that reminded Usagi of a Halloween costume for the Grim Reaper, and she still had her bright golden crescent moon in the middle of her forehead, much like Princess Serenity's. "How?"

"I'm what the wizards refer to as an Animagus, which means I can turn into an animal at will. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but you wouldn't have understood." Luna explained. "I've already booked a room for us, so you can go ahead and rest."

"Thank you," Usagi said sincerely, eagerly following Luna up the staircase. Her enthusiasm dipped about half way up, quickly being replaced by her sheer exhaustion. Thankfully, their room wasn't terribly far from the top of the stairs, and Usagi was able to collapse into bed almost immediately after Luna unlocked the door. Hair still entwined in its odangos buns and work clothes still on, Usagi slipped into a dreamless sleep almost immediately.

* * *

"Usagi, we're running behind, GET UP!" Luna screamed directly into the blonde girl's ear. Usagi opened her eyes instantly and jumped out of the twin sized bed in sheer panic. Her chest heaved up and down as she rolled onto her back and looked up at her assailant. Luna's mouth twitched with amusement as Usagi sighed with relief, and then instantaneously shot a hateful glare at her guardian.

"That was uncalled for! What time is it?" She asked.

"11 o'clock! Do you know how long it takes to buy school supplies?" Luna questioned with annoyance.

"11! I'm late for work! Nikki is going to decapitate me!" Usagi cried, jumping to her feet and searching the room for a bathroom. Luna grabbed onto her arm to stop the panic attack.

"Hello, Earth to Usagi! You escaped from a hospital last night and came to London with me; you're pretty much out of your job and your life. In fact, they'll be filing a missing persons report on you so it best if you don't venture out onto the London streets, okay? The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley are the only places you should be until you head off for school." Luna said sternly. Usagi listened quietly, staring at her hands, but the mention of Diagon Alley pulled her from her reverie.

"Diagon Alley? Where is that?" She inquired.

"Behind the pub. Now come on, we still have to buy all of your stuff." Luna pressed. Usagi blinked, vaguely remembering the size of the shop yesterday and wondering how much stuff anyone could possibly cram in the alley behind it. She walked over to the door that led into the restroom and entered it, bracing herself and turning towards the mirror. The person staring back at her still looked tired, her clothes were disheveled and wrinkled from being slept in, and her hair was the epitome of messy. One of the buns had come undone completely and the other was holding on for dear life, not to mention all the tangles, frizz, and locks that stuck out in random places everywhere.

'_Oh yay,_' She thought sarcastically, reaching for the hairbrush and fully releasing the bun that had survived.

* * *

"An hour! I told you we were late and you still took an hour getting ready!" Luna exclaimed angrily, getting looks from most everyone in the pub. Usagi reddened with embarrassment at her irate companion.

"I spent the whole time showering and trying to rescue my hair. I think I may have produced the world's biggest hairball combing through all of those tangles." She explained. Luna's mouth twitched with a repressed smile and she sighed.

"Alright, whatever, just come on. Normally, I would have a letter for you with a neat little seal on the back saying you're accepted into Hogwarts and their awaiting your letter, blah blah blah. Unfortunately you're a little late for that so you only get the supply list." Luna said, handing her the parchment and leading her towards the back alley. Usagi glanced at the list and then back up at Luna, more interested on this alleyway of magical markets. When they entered the area, Usagi raised her eyebrows in a perplexed manner.

"Wait a minute; don't tell me we're shopping out of the trash can." She said flatly, eyeing the metal bin with distaste. Luna rolled her eyes at the pigtailed girl and pulled out her wand. Usagi shrugged and turned back to the list in her hands.

"Come on!" Luna demanded from in front of her. Usagi looked up and nearly dropped the parchment in her hands. She quickly rushed through the open archway to join Luna at her side and blinked as the opening closed behind her.

"Hey Luna, this list isn't right." She said after a few moments of observation for the marketplace around them. Luna turned to her with confusion.

"How so," She asked, peering over at the parchment.

"The eye of newt is clearly missing." Usagi declared matter-of-factly, pointing at the list for emphasis. Luna rolled her eyes a second time.

"Ha ha, very funny," She replied sarcastically. Usagi chuckled to herself at her own humor and sprinted up the steps to a large white building that Luna had led her to. They passed through the two sets of double doors, Usagi not even bothering to read the inscription next to the doors as she slipped the list into her pocket and looked up. She gasped audibly.

"Luna, what _are_ those things?" Usagi whispered towards her wavy-haired companion.

"Goblins," Luna replied simply, stopping in front of the desk that stood at the end of the walkway they'd been traveling down. The goblin sitting on the other side paused in weighing a large red crystal and peered at them distastefully with its beady eyes.

"May I help you?" He asked rather curtly, blinking so slowly that Usagi wondered it he might be falling asleep. Luna dug into her robes and pulled out a shiny golden key.

"Vault 14," she stated clearly, sliding the key across the counter. The activity of the bank seemed to freeze, so quickly that Usagi looked around to make sure time hadn't stopped on her. All eyes seemed to shift towards the blonde girl at once, and she tensed visibly. After a few seconds, the goblin across from Luna reached a bony hand over and pulled the key all the way to his side of the counter, picking it up and inspecting it carefully.

"Very well, follow me." He said just as slowly, though the disrespect had been removed. Luna motioned for Usagi to follow her as she, in turn, trailed after the goblin. Usagi shuffled behind her slowly, still nervous under the gazes of so many people. She was grateful when they slipped behind a large red curtain and up a narrow staircase, away from the prying eyes of the bank employees. They emerged in a vast white hallway with marble floors and huge golden vaults every fifty feet or so. As they moved onward down the hall without so much as a word, another two people following a goblin were passing by in the opposite direction. Usagi craned her neck to hear what the younger was saying.

"So you will buy the brooms then, father?" He asked, looking at the older blonde expectantly. Said father shifted his cold blue eyes towards his son impatiently before turning them back towards the paper in his hands.

"Yes, Draco," He snapped. The young boy smirked with satisfaction, but it quickly faded as Usagi's giggle reached his ears.

"What are you laughing at?" He growled, turning towards the girl with an unpleasant look.

"Nothing, really. I just thought that buying brooms seemed like a silly thing to do. Are you going to fly them too?" Usagi questioned mirthfully, picturing the classic cliché of a hook-nosed woman riding a broom in front of the moon.

"Of course," He sneered, not changing his irritated look. Usagi snorted with laughter as the witch in her mental imaged was replaced with the boy standing in front of her, hook-nosed and warty. The icy glare she received from the blonde boy finally brought her to her senses.

"I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to be rude I'm just new to this whole witch thing. My name is Usagi, and it's nice to meet you." She said rather quickly, sticking her hand out into the space between them for him to shake. Completely taken aback, Draco couldn't even think to call her mudblood before he was shaking her hand.

"Draco Malfoy." He replied, pulling his hand away from overenthusiastic shaking and blinking in confusion. Usagi blinked as well, and turned her head to look down the hallway. Luna and their goblin guide were far ahead of her, as she realized with a frown.

"Well Draco Malfoy, I'm being left, so I'll talk to you some other time. I'm going to Hogwarts, so if you go there maybe we can be friends." Usagi flashed a dazzling smile at him and sped off down the hall at an inhumanly fast pace. Draco blinked again, shrugged, and quickly walked towards the exit of the hall, where his father had already disappeared down the staircase.

* * *

Well, another chapter revision completed, thank god; another big improvement as well, though not as drastic as the prologue. -shudders in horror- It's late now, so I'm not working on anymore tonight, but I'll fix up the next chapter soon. Also, the new chapter is in the works so be on the look out for that.

SachiNyoko "I see things no one wants to see." (Brittney, my pal)


	3. Into the Vault and Onto the Train!

Usagi watched in mild awe as their guide ran his bony finger along the large steel door with the number '14' engraved in the surface. A keyhole materialized in the center of the vault door at his touch and he slid the key Luna had produced into it, turning it. A click echoed in the silence around the group and a crunching noise that signaled the unlocking of some complex device on the other side of the door.

"Place your hand here. The door will only open for a blood relative." The goblin instructed, gesturing towards the mystified blonde.

"Really? What if a family line is wiped out, what happens to their savings?" Usagi inquired.

"It is lost forever." The goblin said dully, pointing towards the opening again. She looked at the slot that he was pointing to warily and slipped her hand inside it with considerable hesitance, cringing as a tingling sensation ran through her hand. Another grind of mechanics sounded and Usagi withdrew her hand swiftly, relieved as the door finally creaked forward.

Usagi considered the fact that the vault must not have been opened for a millennia or more as the goblin led them inside the large room. A cloud of dust immediately attacked her lungs and she broke into a coughing fit, her eyes watering in protest to the age that set over the area. Once the dust settled, she opened her eyes to the room and felt her breath stolen away once more.

Heaps of gold, silver, and copper-looking coins took up much of the floor space around the group. Along the back wall sat a glass display not unlike one you would find in a muggle jewelry store and there were several marble statues standing sporadically around. Usagi figured them to be of royal Lunarian bloodlines, for one of the statues bared striking resemblance to Queen Serenity, her mother. In the center of these riches stood a solitary glass case caked in multiple layers of dust that put the particles floating around her to shame.

The blonde's curiosity peaked at this enigmatic centerpiece and as Luna walked off towards the mass of coins, she walked towards it apprehensively. Lifting the front of her shirt, she wiped at the dust with the cloth, not wanting the get her hands coated with the grey substance. The dim light that filtered in from the vault door penetrated the glass, casting a glint off of the jewel that lay inside.

"The Ginzuishou," Usagi gasped, placing her hand against the clean part of the glass. She turned her blue eyes toward her companion with confusion. "Luna, isn't this the Ginzuishou?"

"Yes," Luna called, looking up from the parchment in her hands distractedly. "The crystal is here until you summon it. The crystal in your broach is a mirror of the real one that taps into its power to help you transform. The only times you've used the real crystal are in major battles, like the ones with Beryl and Chaos."

"Well that's news to me," Usagi replied, surprise apparent in her voice. Luna appeared nonchalant to the whole thing, so she shrugged it off and wandered over to the glass display in the back of the vault. The goblin, who'd been staring around the room curiously, wiped the dust off for her courteously. Usagi observed the collection of trinkets with interest, noting that each piece bore a symbol of the moon and had a certain glittering quality that outshone any jewelry she'd ever seen before, even in the most prestigious jewelry stores.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she came to a stop at the end of the display. The jewelry on the silk pillow was not particularly unique to the others around it, but it rested on an envelope. There was something scrawling on the face of the white sheath but the locket blocked it from view. Signaling the goblin, she asked him to unlock the case for her. He did so and she lifted both items into her hands, finally able to read the word, 'Musume.'

Cautiously she looked over at Luna, still absorbed in whatever she was currently doing, and back down at the letter. Hesitantly she slit open the envelope and pulled the folded parchment from it, flipping it open. The handwriting was calligraphic, and the black ink was bold and dark. She held her breath as her eyes scanned over the sentences written, unsure of why she was anxious.

_Dearest Musume-chan,_

_If this letter ever finds its way into your hands then you've undoubtedly found your destiny's path altered. I'm sure you're on your way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unknowingly you've accepted a very important task in doing so, which I'm going to explain to you now._

_In the wizarding world, more than a decade ago, there was a dark wizard that rose to power. He went by the name Lord Voldemort and he murdered with the most evil intent. No one could stand up to his power at the time, though there were many movements to stop him, the most powerful being the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort was determined to destroy the Potter family, James being very active in this Order, and he eventually found out where the family was hiding._

_He went to their house and successfully murdered James Potter. He disposed of Lily as well and turned on their infant son, Harry. When Lily died, she left a mark of love on Harry that protected him from Voldemort's curse. It rebounded and Voldemort was forced to flee weak and near death._

_Though many believe the dark one to be dead, he is not and is on the move to gain power once more. You have the responsibility of traveling to Hogwarts and protecting the young Harry Potter. I know you've probably abandoned your duties as a warrior of the moon and that you are used to being protected yourself, but the survival of the earth and of our kingdom depends on this boy._

_If Harry is anything like James he'll be wandering around and getting into trouble often. Keep an eye on him, try to keep him out of trouble, I know you can do this, musume-cha, be careful of yourself and good luck._

_All of my love,_

_Serenity_

_P.S.: The locket belongs to you. It was intended to be your wedding gift on the moon, but as you know, Beryl intervened. Keep it close to you and do not lose it, the trinket may hold a greater purpose yet._

In awe, Usagi shifted her attention to the object in her other hand. Opening the shimmering gold locket, she observed the picture inside. It held the familiar backdrop of the Silver Millennium's Palace. Her past self had snuck up behind the graceful Queen and thrown her arms around the woman's neck. They were both laughing jovially. Opposite the picture was and notch identical in shape of the Ginzuishou.

On the face of the heart-shaped charm was the royal Lunarian symbol of an upturned crescent moon, accompanied by two wings sprouting out of each side. On the back, in tiny engraved letters, it read, '_We have nothing when we do not have hope, but when we have hope, we have everything._' Blinking away the tears that stung her eyes, she played it off as a result of the dust in the room and asked the goblin politely for his key.

As delicately as possible, Usagi unlocked the centerpiece and placed her cautious hand into the case. Lifting the shining crystal that seemed to hum with power in her hands, she gently placed it in the locket and closed it, As if on cue, Luna stepped up along side her and smiled gently. The blonde returned the key and followed the goblin out of the vault with Luna beside her, holding the letter close to her as if it were more than all the gold in her Gringott's vault.

* * *

With a heavy sigh, Usagi plopped down on the stool next to her and dropped her bags to the floor with carelessness. Hours upon hours of shopping for supplies and now they were down to their very last purchase: a wand. Looking around the shop with interest, the layers of dust reminded her unpleasantly of the aged vault they'd been to earlier.

"Ollivander," Luna called into the darkness beyond the shelves. Almost immediately a stout old man emerged from the shadows, his eyes darting between Luna and Usagi. He smiled mysteriously as he gazed into Luna's ruby eyes.

"Ah, Luna, I've been expecting you." He said dramatically, and for a moment Usagi thought she saw Luna roll her eyes.

"Sure you have, old man. We're running a little short on time. Do you have the wand order?" She asked rather curtly, and Usagi was taken aback. Luna was never this curt before, how did she know this guy?

"Same as always. Of course I have the order. It's been in the back of the shop for who knows how long." He grumbled, sweeping back into the shadows. Luna shook her head and the two sat in silence as they waited for the man's return. He didn't take long at all, and he presented the box in his hands to the blonde girl on the stool with a grin.

"Here you are, Serenity: mahogany, moon dust center, 11 inches. Your perfect match." He recited, opening the box to reveal the long, polished stick inside. Usagi gripped the handle on the wand and felt the stick humming with power in her fingers, much like the Ginzuishou had several hours before.

As she thought this, the humming increased and an array of silver butterflies sprouted from the tip. They fluttered momentarily before bursting into silver glitter and drifting to the dull wooden floor below them. Usagi smiled at the sight and placed the wand back in the box. They paid the odd man seventeen galleons for the magical item and lugged their purchases back to the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

"Luna, where is platform 9 ¾?" Usagi whispered. She glanced around warily to make sure that no one noticed her conversing with her feline companion. This morning Usagi had been informed that Luna would be coming to Hogwarts with her as her pet. She looked up at the platform numbers, all perfectly whole, and stopped in front of the large nine. Looking past it, she saw the expected 10 swinging above the next platform.

"Walk through the barrier between platforms nine and ten." Luna whispered back. Usagi briefly wondered how cats could whisper, and then blinked as what Luna said hit her full force.

"What? You're crazy!" She exclaimed, receiving several confused stares from passersby. Flushing, she winced under Luna's glare as she growled for her to do it. She wheeled her trolley to face the seemingly hard barrier and gulped down her apprehension. She ran at it and to her surprise, went through, just as Luna had said she would. A scarlet steam engine met her eyes when she found the courage to reopen them.

"Platform 9 ¾, Hogwarts Express. Luna I made it!" Usagi said with glee. It was still twenty minutes to eleven, so Usagi decided to haul her trunk up the stairs and go reserve a compartment for herself. The task was more difficult than she had expected. No matter how much she tugged on the handle, the heavy trunk just wouldn't budge up the stairs.

"Need some assistance?" A voice called from behind her, full of mirth. Usagi turned and met the brown eyes of a boy, who grinned at her brightly and motioned towards the immobile trunk. Unable to contain herself, she returned the grin and nodded vigorously.

"Yes, please! This thing weighs a ton and it won't move." She said with much exasperation, tugging on the handle for emphasis. The boy laughed and jumped down the stairs, picking up the other handle. With their combined efforts they easily lifted the trunk up the stairs and hauled it into the luggage rack of a compartment near the end of the train.

"Thank you so much, I would have been there all day with that stupid thing. My name's Usagi, by the way." The blonde smiled and stuck her hand out. The boy grinned back at her and shook her hand enthusiastically.

"Lee Jordan. Say, you don't look much like a first year." He commented as their handshake ended and hands dropped to their sides. Usagi nodded.

"I just transferred here from Japan. I'm in fourth year." She grinned. Lee was about to respond when a voice echoed down the hall, calling his name. They both looked in the direction to see a pair of very hyper-looking redheads running towards them, and Usagi concluded that they had to be twins. Just as the one of the left opened his mouth to speak, he spotted the blue eyes that observed him with much interest.

"Hey Lee, who's the girl?" He asked, slinging an arm over her shoulder jovially. Usagi flushed with embarrassment but couldn't help but smile at the grin that stretched over the boy's face.

"She's not your girlfriend, is she? You know girls have cooties." The other said dramatically, glancing at Lee sharply. The other boy screamed and withdrew his arm, waving it around frantically.

"I'm infected! Call a doctor!" He cried. Usagi burst into a fit of giggled at their antics, tears of mirth filling her eyes. Lee shook his head as the twins continued to make a scene, startling a group of first years as they grabbed a nearby compartment.

"This is Usagi, you guys, and no, she isn't my girlfriend. She transferred here from Japan; she'll be in fourth year." He said, breaking up the escapade by reciting the information the blonde had just given him.

"Japan, huh? Very cool. Well, I'm George and this is Fred." The 'infected' twin offered, rubbing his arm against Lee's robes. "Ha! You have the cooties now! I'm cured!"

"Wait a minute!" The other twin exclaimed as Lee rolled his eyes. "I thought I was George!"

"No, no, I'm definitely George." The other replied, nodding confidently.

"Then what's George's favorite color?"

"Green."

"Nope, it's blue, you lose."

"You're wrong, I changed it yesterday."

"You can't change your favorite color!"

"Why not?"

"It's against the rules!"

"What rules?" Usagi and Lee watched the duo walk off arguing, Usagi still giggling. After a few moments of silence, Lee finally spoke up.

"Well, I should be going, see you around school." He waved and ran off in the direction the twins had left, leaving Usagi waving back with a huge smile on her face.

"Look at that, I've already made some friends." Usagi said quietly, her smile fading slightly. Luna perched on one of the seats silently, and Usagi sat opposite of her gazing out of the window. The twins and Lee Jordan were bugging a guy who looked way older than the other three. He had long hair pulled back into a ponytail and in one ear he had an earring with what seemed to be a fang dangling from it. Judging by the flaming red hair, Usagi concluded that it was Fred and George's older brother, which ever one was which.

Usagi shifted her attentions and saw a plump woman who couldn't be anyone but their mother handing another little girl with red hair wrapped up sandwiches. Half of the family piled on the train, and moments later the train was started to go forward. She jumped in surprise when her compartment door slid open. Three people stood in the doorway.

"Mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full." The girl with bushy brown hair stated.

"Sure, go ahead." Usagi gestured to the empty seats beside her. They put their trunks in the luggage rack and plopped down in said seats. The redheaded boy pulled out a pair of maroon dress robes and threw it over the cage next to him, where a tiny owl fluttered about. This muffled the constant hooting sound the bird was making.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." The same brown-haired girl stated, pointing to each person in turn. Luna's nose twitched as she eyed the boy Hermione had called Harry Potter.

"I'm Usagi." Usagi smiled at Ron. "I met your two twin brothers earlier. Quite entertaining they were." A grin passed over her lips as Ron shook his head with some exasperation. Harry stared at the girl for a long moment.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" He asked. Usagi stared back at him in confusion before it dawned on her. This boy, he was the one she escorted to the bathroom when she worked at the retirement home. Harry soon realized this as well.

"I remember! You were the janitor girl at the retirement home! You showed me to the bathroom. What happened to you anyway?" Harry asked with curiosity shining in his bright green eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Usagi said flatly, blinking away tears that were stinging her eyes. Before anyone could respond to her, Hermione shushed them and gestured toward the half-open compartment door. A familiar voice floated through the opening and to Usagi's waiting ears.

"...Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the Headmaster you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover-and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to a school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not the defense rubbish we do..." Hermione snapped the door shut.

"So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him better?" she snapped, "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him." Usagi blinked in confusion. Draco was a little hostile but he wasn't that bad...was he?

"Durmstrang's another wizarding school?" Harry asked.

"Yes, and it's got a horrible reputation. They say it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts." Hermione replied knowledgably.

"I think I've heard of it," Ron said vaguely. "Where is it? Which country?"

"Well, nobody knows, do they?" Hermione looked at Ron with raised eyebrows.

"Er...Why not?" Harry asked confused.

"There's always been a lot of conflict between all magical schools. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang like to conceal their location so nobody can steal their secrets." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Oh come off it!" Ron said laughing. "Durmstrang's got to be around the same size as Hogwarts. How do you expect to hide a giant castle?"

"But Hogwarts is hidden!" Hermione said in surprise. "Everyone knows that...or at least everyone who's read _Hogwarts, A History_."

"Just you then," Ron replied. "So, how do you hide a place like Hogwarts?"

"It's bewitched." Hermione replied. "Any Muggle who looks at it sees an old ruin with a sign overhead saying 'Danger, Do Not Enter, Unsafe'."

"So Durmstrang'll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?"

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged. "They could also use Muggle repelling charms."

"If you say so," Harry said, still confused.

"But I think Durmstrang is far up north, seeing as they have fur capes as part of their uniforms." Hermione added thoughtfully.

"Ah, think of the possibilities." Ron said dreamily. "It would have been so easy to push Malfoy off of a glacier and make it look like and accident...shame his Mother likes him..."

"Why do you hate Malfoy so much?" Usagi interrupted, making all three of them jump. They had obviously forgotten she was there.

"Because he's a jerk," Ron said simply.

"He enjoys picking on people, especially Gryffindors." Hermione explained. Usagi looked thoughtful before turning back to the window. It was raining so hard, however, that she couldn't see anything anyways.

"What are you doing here? You can't be first year." Harry asked, breaking the silence that had fell over the group.

"I'm a transfer student. I came from a wizarding school in Japan. I'll be in my fourth year here." Usagi replied, turning back to face him and smiling.

"We're all in our fourth year too." Ron said grinning. From there on they had a long drawn out conversation. Usagi talked about what school was like in Japan, which demanded some brilliant inventing on her part but she managed to pull it off. Harry, Ron, and Hermione told her all about Hogwarts and started on talking about the Quidditch World Cup. Ron pulled out the miniature figure of seeker Viktor Krum.

"Neat!" Usagi squealed as Ron tipped the tiny Viktor Krum in her hand. He walked back and forth across her palm.

"We saw him up close, as well!" Ron said happily. "We were in the Top Box-

"For the first and last time of your life, Weasley," Draco Malfoy had suddenly appeared in the doorway, followed by the usual Crabbe and Goyle. Apparently they had heard Ron talking through a small space in the compartment door.

"I don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy." Harry said coolly.

"Weasley...what is that?" Malfoy asked pointing at Pigwidgeon's cage. A sleeve of Ron's robes was dangling from it, swaying in motion with the train. Ron made to stuff them out of sight but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled.

"Look at this!" Malfoy said in ecstasy, holding up Ron's robes to show Crabbe and Goyle. "You weren't actually going to wear these, were you? I mean-they were very fashionable in about 1890..." Malfoy laughed derisively. A smack sounded through the compartment and Malfoy staggered backwards, letting go of the robes and holding his cheek. Usagi was standing there, hands on her hips and an angry expression on her face.

"They were right, you are a jerk! I don't want to stay here and watch you make fun of people because you think that you're better than them." Usagi marched out of the compartment and down the train.

"Like I care!" Malfoy shouted after her. She stopped, turned around, and stuck her tongue out before continuing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared after her.

* * *

Usagi checked almost every compartment before she found who she was looking for.

"Hello, Lee! Fred, George!" Usagi said cheerfully. "Mind if I ride with you guys the rest of the way?"

"Sure, go ahead, plenty of room." Lee said smiling. Usagi chatted with them for the rest of the way to Hogwarts. When the got off at the platform, she was walking with them towards the carriages when she heard some one calling her.

"Usagi Tsukino!" A rather strict looking woman with her hair pulled back in a tight bun called several times over the crowd. Usagi pulled on the sleeve of Lee's robes.

"Who's that?" She pointed.

"Her? That's Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and head of the Gryffindor house. Don't worry; she always looks at you like you're in trouble." Lee grinned seeing the fear stricken look on Usagi's face when the woman spotted her and beckoned her over. "See you later, then?"

"Right, see you later." Usagi assured before rushing toward the woman. Lee ran to catch up with Fred and George.

* * *

Ugh, I got lazy near the end. Here's the questions that were here before:

Are Harry and Usagi the same age? This gives me room to announce an important point. Usagi and Harry are both 15. They will be going into their 4th year, however. I upgraded the ages by one. It's important because I need things to happen in the fourth year that will lead up to the fifth year events. Check?

Who is Usagi going to be with? Well...my automatic reaction was a Harry/Usagi. But, now I'm going to play with all of your heads for a while so none of you know whom the pairing is until it's too late! But seriously, both Harry and Draco will probably fall for her to a certain extent. (Maybe even a couple others) Who will she choose? The greened eyed boy who conquered Lord Voldemort? The silver blonde Slytherin? Doesn't the excitement stir you?

Thank you reviewers!

§SachiNyoko§ 'Don't get mad, get Glad!'


	4. The Sorting

"Ma'am?" Usagi shrunk under the fierce stare that the professor was giving her, stepping more timidly the closer she got to the stern looking woman. McGonagall analyzed every move the blonde made as she approached, making Usagi feel somewhat like the prey of some dangerous wild animal. '_Come off it, Usagi, you sound like an idiot._'

"Dumbledore doesn't want you seated with the other students until you've been sorted." The woman explained, but Usagi didn't feel very enlightened. She trailed McGonagall wordlessly down a path that she wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Her mind drifted to the endless methods of sorting she could be put through and how very few of them she might be successful in.

'_They might just throw me out with all the skill I have,_' she mused dully, looking up at the huge entrance to Hogwarts castle. The whole place was very large and intimidating, she noted, letting McGonagall open the wooden doors. Instead of entering the conventional route, the professor led her to the staff doorway around the corner. Not many noticed their quite appearance as the blonde was ushered to a seat at the teacher's table.

Or at least, it looked like all teachers sitting at the wooden surface. Angled the opposite way, there were four identical long tables side by side that took up most of the rooms' floor space. The ceiling above, or what should have been the ceiling, was open to the heavens, which were a dull, stormy gray presently. Catching eye contact with Lee Jordan, they grinned at each other momentarily before the hall silenced for sorting ceremonies.

Usagi shifted her attentions to the man in the seat next to hers. His blue eyes twinkled jovially as he watched the nervous first years fumbling to their house tables, enhanced by the half moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose. A particularly clumsy student nearly tripped over his robes, and his mouth twitched into a smile that illustrated the wrinkles in his amiable face. If Usagi'd ever had a mental image of a wizard before now, it would have been this man exactly.

"Good evening, Miss Tsukino. Or should I say, Serenity-hime?" Startled, Usagi visibly shifted in her seat. Her cheeks flared under the embarrassment of being caught staring, but she shook her head enthusiastically. Vaguely, she realized the wizard beside her was speaking her native tongue of Japanese.

"Just Usagi will be fine, Dumbledore-sama." She responded, following his example of languages. A few surrounding professors sent puzzled looks their way but there was a general disinterest otherwise. Albus Dumbledore smiled down at the blue-eyed girl beside him, finally tearing away from the sorting.

"What brings you to Hogwarts, then, Usagi?" He asked, his blue eyes sweeping over the hall. Once again Usagi followed his exampled and glimpsed the hall in its entirety. More than half of the first year students had been assigned a house thus far.

"A series of events to lengthy to go into. Right now, I'm supposed to protect Harry Potter. It what my mother wants me to do." Usagi scanned what she believed to be the Gryffindor table and found the green-eyed boy. He was laughing at something Ron had said and didn't notice her stare.

"And?" Dumbledore inquired nonchalantly, sensing there was something more. Usagi smiled lightly.

"I'm not sure if I can do it." The buzz over the hall seemed to cease as McGonagall called for silence. Albus looked over at the Japanese girl pensively but didn't make any comments. McGonagall motioned to her and Usagi took the hint. She rose from her seat beside the headmaster and traipsed to the woman's side, concentrating hard on suppressing her clumsy tendencies.

"We have a transfer student from Japan. Her name is Usagi Tsukino," The blonde winced as McGonagall murdered her name, "and I expect you'll all welcome her as one of your own. Please have a seat so we can sort you."

'_Mother, I will be strong, but if I have to become Sailor Moon again...I don't know if I can take it._' Usagi watched as the hall full of apprehensive students disappeared into blackness. Even the hushed whispers of the nearby teenagers were extinguished by the aged hat that almost dropped down to her nose.

'_Hmm...what a troubled girl. Where should I place you? You're much too pure for Slytherin. Not quite clever enough for Ravenclaw. You possess the loyalty and kindness of a Hufflepuff, but the courage and determination of a Gryffindor._' Usagi listened to the musing voice in her ear with interest.

"Gryffindor," she whispered frantically, registering the hat's dispute. She shifted on the stool anxiously as the murmurs of the hall reached her ears again.

'_Why do you want to be in Gryffindor?_' The hat inquired, genuinely curious.

"I'm supposed to protect Harry Potter, and he's in Gryffindor. I'd appreciate it if you put me there," she responded. The hat was silent for several moments as the talk in the hall became more pronounced. Usagi felt her cheeks starting to grow warm again.

'_Protect Harry Potter, you say? You must be Serenity-hime. Is it true, then, that your guardians...?_'

"Yes." Usagi snapped viciously, not bothering to lower her voice to a whisper. The hall went completely dead, but the blonde was too disoriented to be embarrassed from the attention. She glared at the blackness of the hat, trying to block out the tears of frustration. It was her fault.

'_I'm sorry. It was rude of me to intrude. I'm placing you in GRYFFINDOR!_' The whole room seemed to exhale at the shout, and Usagi snatched the hat off of her head instantaneously. The Gryffindor table cheered accordingly as the odd girl walked to their table, seating herself beside Lee Jordan and the Weasley twins, Harry Potter and company a few seats over.

"Hey, you okay? It sure did take you long enough." Lee laughed, his eyes lighting up joyfully as the empty dishes filled with steaming foods. He immediately snatched up enough to fill his plate, glancing towards her for an answer.

"I'm fine, and this food looks really good." She replied mirthfully, shaking off the memories that had sprung up at the mention of her guardians. Quickly following Lee's lead, she piled a mountain of food on her own plate and dug in. Her mood did a complete turn around in the presence of Fred and George Weasley, even though she still didn't know which one was which, and by bed time she was laughing merrily with the group of them.

"Tsukino!" Usagi winced as she heard the familiar call of McGonagall over the crowd.

"Looks like I'm off on another great adventure." She mused dully, turning towards the waiting woman with somewhat of a frown. Waving off Lee and the twins, she joined her new head of house at the doors to the Great Hall.

"I just wanted to inform you that the teachers know of your social status. Regardless of this you'll be treated with the same attitude as the rest of the students. You'll be expected to follow the same rules." Usagi almost giggled when she caught sight of McGonagall's bun wiggling with the motions of her head, but she effectively calmed her mirth.

"I don't want any special treatment, Professor McGonagall. Besides, my title isn't really relevant anymore since the Moon Kingdom is virtually extinct." The blonde said, a frown passing over her face. "Is that all you wanted?"

"Yes, but I suppose I'll have to take you to the Gryffindor commons myself since your class is already gone." McGonagall nodded. Usagi smiled brightly and followed the strict professor, deciding she might like the woman more than she originally thought she would.

* * *

I changed this chapter around significantly because I thought the whole Usagi-getting-upset-and-marching-out-of-the-Grand-Hall thing was too melodramatic. I like this much better. I'll go down a few more caffeine-filled sodas and try to work my way through next chapter's revision. See ya.

-SachiNyoko- '_Correct me if I'm wrong, everyone else does._'


	5. First Classes and Congregation Under the...

"Hey Usagi, wake up!" Said blonde girl mumbled something utterly incoherent and rolled over onto her back. Semiconsciously she grasped a couch pillow in her right hand and swung her arm with all the force a half-awake person possessed. Lee Jordan ducked in time to avoid the blow to his head, but the red-headed boy beside him wasn't as quick. Fred Weasley let out a shout mixed with pain and shock.

"Go away, Luna." Usagi grumbled, burying her face into the couch cushion and snoozing on. Fred rubbed the side of his head dramatically and backed away from the couch.

"Whoa, that girl packs a punch and she's still half asleep! I'm never getting her angry while she's awake, I'll be discombobulated." He cried.

"Oh quit whining. It was just a couch pillow." George rolled his eyes at his twin and turned back towards the sleeping girl, just in time to receive a couch pillow in the face. He cursed and massaged his nose while Fred mocked him. Lee shook his head at the two and poked the slumbering blonde warily.

"Usagi, it's time for breakfast. We're going to be late because of you." Lee couldn't have got more of a response if he'd set off a firecracker near her ear. As soon as he voiced the word 'late,' Usagi sprung from the couch like it was in flames and looked wildly around.

"I'm late?" She screamed. Only becoming more disoriented, she realized that she didn't really recognize any of her surroundings. Lee and the twins' laughter brought her from her confusion and she huffed slightly at the lot of them. Fred, remembering his pledge moments before, silenced at the first signs of anger, and Usagi giggled at the look on his face.

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?" Lee asked as the blonde gathered the scattered cushions and placed them back on the couch.

"When McGonagall dropped me off last night she didn't tell me which dorm or anything. I was too tired to search and the couch looked pretty comfortable." She explained, blinking as Fred and George grabbed her arms and began dragging her towards the exit to their commons. "Oi, I can walk."

"You weren't doing a very good job of it," George said, shrugging.

"Yeah, and we're starved." Fred agreed. Usagi rolled her eyes and fought her way out of their hold, straightening her robes. She grinned at the lot of them before sprinting out of the room fast enough to leave a trail of dust...if the floor had been dusty. The trio looked at each other before the ran after her, skidding into the Great Hall just as the bells for First Classes rang out above them. The blonde rabbit sprinted past them in the other direction, arm full of muffins and her mouth full. She winked and disappeared around the corner on Harry and company's heels.

* * *

Usagi was still inhaling muffins by the time the group reached the greenhouses. Despite the odd glances from her classmates, she never slowed her speed until the final muffin was nothing but crumbs stuck to its paper wrapper. Sighing as she licked away the stray crumbs, she smiled contentedly. 

"I thought I was going to miss my breakfast. What class are we headed to again?" The blonde inquired grinning cheerfully. If this would have been an anime, Harry, Ron and Hermione would be sporting nice big sweatdrops. Instead, they stared blankly as they pointed on her schedule.

"Herbology," Ron offered. Usagi perked up slightly at the thought of working with plants. She loved flowers, so this class would be easy, right? Following the chattering group of students into the greenhouse, she looked around at the...interesting assortment of plant life. As the class stopped, she turned her attentions to the plants involved in today's lesson and suddenly felt significantly nauseous. The thick, black, slug-looking creatures jarred from the soil and stood upright in the air, wriggling creepily.

"Bubotubers," Professor Sprout announced jovially, making Usagi all the more uneasy. If she enjoyed these odd plants, if they could even be called such, then surely she would expect her class to be happy about the project as well. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus-"

"The what?" Seamus Finnigan blurted, sounding as disgusted as the rest of the class felt. Usagi wrinkled her nose along with them as the slug-like plants waved back and forth.

"Pus, Finnigan, pus." Professor Sprout replied, not skipping a beat. "And it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."

After the lesson of squeezing those little creatures of their ooze, Usagi faced a whole new outlook on her Herbology course. Apparently it wasn't all sunshine and daisies, excusing the horrible pun. The group marched down towards the wooden cabin on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Though thrown off by her first class, she was still looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures. She loved animals, and maybe she'd get to see a unicorn?

Her eyes, glazed and fixed on the Forbidden Forest, caught sight of a white blur moving through the trees. Usagi swore she spotted a shimmer of gold before the blur disappeared. Maybe the bubotubers had affected her more than she'd realized.

"Harry, did you see that?" She questioned, tugging on the black-haired boy's sleeve. Harry turned his attentions to the forest, where Usagi was obviously staring, and his brows knitted together.

"See what?" He asked, scrutinizing the dark trees for any signs of movement. Even in the daylight it was hard to penetrate very far into the darkness of the woods with your eyes alone.

"I seen something in the forest. A blur, really, but it was white..." She trailed off, still staring wistfully into the forest knowing the glimpsed thing wouldn't be returning anytime soon.

"There are lots of weird creatures in the Forbidden Forest, trust me. I would recommend wandering in there on your own. Actually I don't recommend going in there at all." Harry shrugged, turning back towards Ron and Hermione. The red-haired Weasley had been listening in on them, and he nodded at Harry's statement.

"Yeah, there are werewolves and gigantic spiders and centaurs-"

"But the centaurs are nice." Harry objected, raising an eyebrow at Ron.

"Well sure, there was the one that saved your life."

"Firenze," Harry informed

"Right, Firenze. The others were either rude or talking in circles. 'Mars is bright tonight.' How the hell are we supposed to know what that means? They wouldn't be bad if they spoke common English." Ron ranted with his exasperation apparent in his expression. Usagi giggled lightly at his frustrations.

"Well, if Mars is brighter than usual it means something important, likely bad is soon to happen. Mars was the god of war, also known as Ares, so naturally it would signal a major conflict about to take place." The blonde said, smiling brightly. Ron stared, nearly slack-jawed.

"I give up, the girls we hang out with are always smarter than us, Harry. We need to get a really stupid one to even things out." The red-head grumbled dully, making the rest of the group laugh.

"Which girl were you planning on inviting?" Hermione asked innocently.

"Well, if we really wanted the extreme, we could ask Pansy." Ron replied mirthfully, looking over as the pug-faced Slytherin walked over next to Draco Malfoy and his usual cronies. The four of them burst into uncontrollable laughter that made the Slytherins send them unsavory looks, which they were oblivious too.

Suddenly, the boom of Hagrid's greeting drowned out the class chatter. The bearded man had been waiting, waving jovially as he finally caught sight of them. He waved them over closer to the hut, and they approached warily.

"Class, say hello ter Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid yelled jovially over the crowd of students, waving his hand over the collection of wooden crates at his feet. Usagi and co, being at the front of the pack, leaned over to get a look into the crates. The deformed, lobster-like creatures scurried around the square area, bumping into the walls and each other often. Each of them was only around six inches long.

The reason for their name soon became clear as several of the tiny creatures began to shoot sparks out of one end, propelling forward. The observing students jumped back a little when this happened, and Hagrid couldn't contain a chuckle.

"On'y just hatched so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yourselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it," Hagrid told them enthusiastically. Unfortunately for him, the feeling wasn't mutual as several of the students exchanged glances.

"Why would we _want_ to raise them," came the cold, sarcastic voice that couldn't belong to anyone but Draco Malfoy. Usagi turned to face the blonde boy and gave him a dirty look, remembering she was still peeved at the slick-haired Slytherin. He rolled his eyes at her as he waited for Hagrid's answer. The bearded giant looked baffled by the question, so Malfoy pressed on. "I mean, what do they do? What is the _point_ of them?"

"Do they _have_ to have some higher purpose? Can't the fact that they're...um...interesting, be enough?" Usagi said loudly, stepping up to aid her silent professor. She connected heated gazes with Draco as she went on. "Besides, he's the teacher. If he says there are project then there's no room for argument from us, it's his lesson plan."

"Feh, some teacher," Draco shot back, rolling his eyes as he glanced at the sparking crates.

"Are you even capable of saying something nice?" Usagi inquired with much exasperation.

"No," Draco smirked, shrugging nonchalantly. Usagi glared at him once more before turning to face Hagrid. The professor was rather red in the face and still silent, but she offered him an encouraging smile.

"So, Professor Hagrid, what are we supposed to do with the...um...Skrewts?" She questioned.

"Well, I'm not sure what they eat yet so I got some ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake—just try 'em out with a bit of each." Hagrid explained, stuttering his way through at points. Usagi nodded and, with much determination, hiked the sleeve of her robe up and plunged her hand into the bucket of frog liver. Lifting a fist full of the sickeningly squishy organs, she attempted to feed the odd creatures with it.

After their initial shock, Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed forward to assist their fellow Gryffindor. With a few more groans, the rest of the class began to join in as well. Ron turned to Usagi with a huge grin lighting up his face, looking like he'd won the lottery.

"That was bloody brilliant! The look on Malfoy's face when you grabbed that liver was priceless...I'll never forget it." He announced dreamily. Usagi laughed lightly, still trying to find a mouth on the creatures she was trying to nourish.

"I was looking the other way so I didn't see it." She said regretfully, stealing a glance at the fuming Draco and giggling.

"That's too bad. He doesn't look that shocked too often." Harry grinned.

"He's not used to being challenged by a girl. Well, except for Hermione." Ron added.

"You know, he didn't seem so bad when I first met him." Usagi said thoughtfully.

"Where did you meet him?" Hermione asked.

"Gringotts, before school started. He wasn't very nice really, he did insult me, but he also shook my hand. Maybe it's because I confused him, he must not be used to someone ignoring his crude comments." Usagi grinned in amusement as she remembered the look on his face when she offered to shake his hand. After a while of adventures with the Blast-Ended Skrewts, the bell rang across the grounds, signaling the end of class.

"Well, on the bright side, the Skrewts are small." Ron commented.

"They are now, but as soon as Hagrid finds out what they eat they'll probably be six feet long." Hermione said exasperated.

"How was your Care of Magical Creatures class in Japan?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. Usagi laughed nervously.

"It wasn't much different, but the creatures we studied were less dangerous." She said quickly. Ron snorted.

"If only Hagrid knew the definition of a 'dangerous creature'. I swear I worry about him sometimes. One day he'll get eaten by a dragon for thinking it was harmless."

"Ron, don't say that!" Hermione said as they sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped their selves to lunch.

"I'm just saying that he puts himself in danger a lot and it can get him into trouble, that's all." Ron replied as he piled food on his plate.

"He does have a point." Usagi said as she watched Hermione digging into her food like a rabid wolf. "What's the rush, Hermione?"

"I want to get to the Library." She replied. Ron stared in disbelief.

"Hermione—it's the first day back! We haven't even got homework yet!" Hermione shrugged and finished her plate.

"See you at dinner!" She called before taking of at high speed. Usagi shrugged and dug into her plate as well. Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Are you going to the library too?" Harry asked. Usagi looked up.

"Huh? Oh, no, I always eat like this." She replied, flushing slightly.

"Always? That's amazing, and it's almost inhuman. Do all Japanese people eat like that?" Ron asked in awe.

"Um...no, I don't think so, just me." Usagi said, still embarrassed.

"We have Divination next right?" Harry interrupted, changing the subject.

"Uh...yeah," Ron replied.

"Divination sounds cool, is it fun?" Usagi asked, grateful to Harry for changing the subject.

"Well it would be if we didn't have Trelawney." Ron said.

"What's so bad about her?" Usagi asked.

"She has a habit of predicting my death every chance she gets." Harry said annoyed. Usagi blinked.

"Why would she do that?"

"We don't know. Boredom? Amusement? Just plain malice?" Ron said as he counted of the possible reasons on his fingers while Usagi laughed lightly. Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her under the table, making Usagi yelp in surprise. Ron and Harry blinked at her sudden disappearance.

"Hello Usagi."

"Lee? What was the point of that?" Usagi asked as they sat crouched under they table.

"I was bored." Lee shrugged.

"Hey, don't forget us!" Fred and George interrupted.

"Fred and George are here too?" Usagi asked.

"You bet you!" Fred said cheerfully. Ron and Harry joined them.

"What's going on down here?" Ron asked.

"Are you guys having some kind of secret meeting?" Harry asked, half-joking.

"Well it certainly isn't secret now." George said sarcastically.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Ginny?" Ron asked, looking behind him.

"And me."

"Neville too?"

"What are you guys up to?"

"Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan?"

"Yep."

"That's us."

"We aren't having a party or anything you know." Usagi called to the growing group.

"Hey, we've started a trend." Lee said, bobbing his head as 10 more people slid under the table.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you under the table?"

"We don't know."

"Is this some sort of club meeting?" Half of the Gryffindor table was now under the table instead of at it.

"No."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Just sitting here."

"Oh." The other houses began to stare as most of the Gryffindors had disappeared.

"It's getting awfully crowded in here." Fred pointed out.

"Thank you captain obvious," Usagi said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Dumbledore grinned in amusement as the whole Gryffindor table was now under the table.

"So, now what?" Ron asked.

"How about we play tag?" George suggested.

"Very funny," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Hey, that's my foot Lee!"

"Sorry Usagi." Just then, the bell rang. The whole mass of students under the table jumped to leave, bumping their heads violently against the tabletop. Several people moved to rub their aching heads, elbowing more people in the process. Usagi and Lee looked at each other.

"Shall we leave?" Usagi asked.

"Let's." Lee replied. Both slid out from under the table and left for class.

* * *

In all my revision, I like the dialogue between Usagi and the gang during this chapter. Also, there was no way in hell I was getting rid of the infamous "Congregation Under the Table!" It's probably my favorite part of this story. 

Well, that's all. Keep those reviews coming, give me suggestions, tell me if there's something you really want to happen and I might be able to make it work. Constructive criticism will get you everywhere, don't be afraid to be honest people, you won't hurt my feelings. :P

-SachiNyoko- 'Man fears the darkness, and so he scrapes away at the edges of it with fire.' (Rei Ayanami)


	6. DADA, what's wrong with Usagi?

"You can put those away, those books. You won't need them." The class all seemed to silence concurrently at the newcomer's gruff voice. He hobbled across the room on his wooden leg and took a seat in front of the classroom, turning his scarred face towards his students. Disfigured hands moving over the desk in front of him, he located the class register and pulled it directly in front of him.

With a sigh of relief, one Usagi Tsukino shoved her book carelessly back into her back. She'd already been bombarded with assignments, the last thing she needed was another essay or book task. To think she used to believe muggle high school was bad, she'd give anything for an equal workload. Her blue eyes shot up as Professor Moody called out her name from the register in his marred hands.

"Here," Usagi said clearly, not even flinching under the intense gaze that Moody sent her way. Somehow the scarred flesh and swiveling magical eye didn't bother her much. The professor continued down the list of names until he'd made sure every student was present and accounted for.

"Right then, Professor Lupin sent me a letter about this class. It seems you've had pretty through groundling in tackling dark creatures. You've covered boggarts, red caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, kappas, and werewolves, right?" The class quietly nodded their consent, with the exception of Usagi. She hadn't been present at Hogwarts last year. "Yes, but you're very behind on dealing with curses, so I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark Arts."

The class looked a mixture of excited and terrified as they waited on baited breath, expecting Moody to shoot a curse at them on the spot. But instead he clapped his hands together and began his lecture.

"So, straight into it; curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it until then.

"But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of you're nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite in your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."

Lavender Brown jumped in her seat as he called her name. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of red as she tucked her completed Horoscope for Trelawney's class. Parvati Patil whipped her posture straight and looked at Moody as though she'd been listening the whole time. In fact, she'd been leaning over Lavender's shoulder looking at the parchment.

"So...do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?" Several hands shot up at his question, including Ron's, Usagi's, and of course, Hermione's. Moody pointed at Ron, still transfixed on Lavender with his magical eye.

"Er...my dad told me about one. Is it called the Imperius Curse or something?" Ron said nervously.

"Ah yes, your father would know that one. It gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse." Moody got to his feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scurrying around inside it, making Ron's pale face contort into an expression of horror.

Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "_Imperio_!" The spider leapt from his hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze.

It stretched out its legs and did a back flip, landing on the desk and cart wheeling in circles. Moody jerked his wand and the spider stood on its hind legs and began to tap dance. Everyone was laughing, everyone except Moody, and Usagi. The blonde girl was watching the spider in dismay, a tormented look about her features.

"Stop it." She said quietly, refusing to tear her watery eyes from the arachnid. Moody was the only one who heard her demand, and he stared at her with both of his eyes for a moment.

"You want me to stop, Miss Tsukino?" He inquired loudly. The class stopped laughing almost immediately and stared at Usagi. She fidgeted under their gaze but kept her eyes directly on Moody.

"Yes I do." She replied with bravado.

"And why is that, Miss Tsukino?" Moody went on.

"Because what you're doing to that spider is wrong. Controlling someone against his or her will isn't right." Usagi said quietly, clenching her eyes shut as she fought back her own memories of the curse that her professor was demonstrating.

"But it's only a spider, Miss Tsukino." Moody countered flippantly, jerking the spider into a more intricate gymnastics move. One of the eight legs simply snapped off from the strain. It flopped on the desk, a useless limb. The blonde flinched at the sight, watching the spider still ceaselessly tumble around, oblivious to its loss. She barely found her voice this time.

"What does that matter? Spiders have souls. Controlling that spider is just the same as controlling anyone in this room. It's not right." Usagi seemed to shrink into her seat with every word she said, but she said them with confidence. The class was eerily quiet as they contemplated her words, and no one dared laugh. Moody smiled a second smile.

"That was brilliantly said, Miss Tsukino, twenty points to Gryffindor. I could make this spider jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats, you name it. Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse. Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will.

"The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Everyone jumped off their seat as he shouted. Moody picked up the spider and threw it back into the jar. The now seven-legged creature twitched several times, lying immobile in the center. "Anyone else know one; another illegal curse?" Again, Hermione's hand shot up, as did Usagi's, and Neville Longbottom's.

"Yes?" Moody turned his eerie attentions towards Neville, who gulped and lowered his hand.

"Well, there's one, the Cruciatus Curse." He nearly squeaked, refusing to meet eyes with Professor Moody. Said man never averted his intense gaze as he fished a healthy spider from the jar and dropped it on the table.

"The Cruciatus Curse. It needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea." Moody pointed his wand at the bug as it scurried for the side of the desk and its freedom. "_Engorgio!_"

The spider swelled significantly, bypassing the size of a tarantula. Usagi jumped as Ron's chair scraped across the classroom floor. The red-head was putting as much distance between him and the spider as possible. Moody's wand twitched towards the spider once more as he muttered, "_Crucio_!"

At once the spider's legs bent in towards its body. It rolled over and began to twitch violently, rocking from side to side. Usagi looked away from the spider as it writhed in agony on the desk. Neville watched the spider in horror as it began to shudder and jerk around more violently. Moody noticed this and raised his wand. The spider relaxed, but continued to twitch. Moody shrunk it and placed it back in the jar.

"Pain," Moody said softly. Usagi turned back to the front as she realized the spider had been put away. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse. That one was once very popular too. Anyone know any others?"

Once again, Hermione and Usagi raised their hands. Moody set his eyes on Usagi. "Yes?"

"Avada Kedavra," Usagi mumbled shakily. Luna had told her the story of how Harry's parents had died, describing the curse and what it did. Ironic that it was the first spell she'd ever learned about. Usagi watched as Moody retrieved the last spider from the jar and sat it on the table.

"Yes, the last and worst; Avada Kedavra. The Killing Curse." Usagi willed herself to not look away as Moody raised his wand and bellowed "_Avada Kedavra_!"

A blinding green light filled the room and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air. Instantly the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked but unmistakably dead. Moody swept the dead spider off the desk.

"Not nice. Not pleasant. And there's no counter curse. There's no blocking it. Only one person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me." Usagi visibly tensed as she sensed the eyes of the classroom instantly focus in on Harry. She knew when she'd named the curse that this would be the result. The black-haired boy was rigid in his seat, his green eyes burning through his desk.

Slowly, Usagi reached her hand out and tugged on the sleeve. He looked over at her, surprised, but she smiled warmly at him. Without realizing it, he found himself smiling back.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Usagi yelped as they were brought out of their reverie by Moody's shout. "Those three curses are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn life in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. Now get out your quills and copy this down."

They copied notes the rest of the class. The normal whispers and muffled laughter were absent from the crowd of Gryffindors as they worked. As soon as the bell released them, however, they gushed in the halls about the sheer brilliance of the lesson. Usagi slowed her pace, letting the chipper students leave her, and was so caught up in her thoughts that she ran headlong into Neville Longbottom.

"Sorry Neville," she mumbled, smiling sadly at the boy. He looked quite shaken, standing immobile in the hallway and staring at the wall across from him. Her smile became a sympathetic frown as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he nodded, pulling his shoulder from her. Usagi immediately pulled her hand back to her side as Harry and company caught up with them, Moody trailing behind them.

"It's alright, sonny, come to my office and have some tea." He said to Neville. The boy's wide, fearful eyes suggested that the thought of being alone with Professor Moody was worse than whatever he was worried about. Moody's magical eye swiveled over to Harry.

"You're all right then, aren't you Potter?" The green-eyed youth nodded, his glasses sliding down his nose with the movement.

"And you, Tsukino?" Usagi looked shaken at the question. Her head jerked in a quick nod as she tugged on her robes. A silence settled over the whole group Moody still staring at her pointedly, until the blonde laughed nervously.

"I'm going to dinner, I'm starved." She said, adjusting her bag and speeding off down the hall.

* * *

A frown across her lips, Usagi bypassed the Great Hall without a glance. Her head was swimming with thoughts of their lesson and the look that Moody had given her. She snapped the password to the fat lady, the woman looking very indignant as she granted her passage. Dropping her school bag carelessly, she plopped on the couch and placed her head in her hands. 

'_What does Moody know about me and how does he know it?_' Her mind wondered. The only one who would ever know about her experience with the Imperius Curse would be Luna and..._him_. There was no other person, so why did he look at her like that?

A tremor shook through her spine, as though the temperature around her had drastically dropped. Her eyes glazed over, burning into the ground as she lost grasp on what she was even looking at. The feeling drained away from her eyes, slowly deadening. All at once she became nothing, a shell, but she was still shivering. The portrait of the fat lady swung open and Harry entered, his green eyes immediately landing on Usagi.

"Hey, you said you were starving but you weren't at dinner. You okay?" He asked, tilting his head. The blonde didn't respond, or move, aside from her constant quivering. Harry finally noticed it as he moved in closer. "Are you cold? Do you need a blanket or something? Hello?"

He waved his hand in front of her face, but she still didn't acknowledge him. Cautiously he placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head upwards, their eyes meeting. Startled, Harry jumped back and Usagi's head dropped again. He stood, frozen, until he heard familiar voices entering the common room.

"I don't think that'll work, Fred." Said Weasley twin appeared, quickly followed by George and Lee. As soon as they spotted the boy-who-lived, they ended their conversation abruptly. Harry was still staring at Usagi with wide eyes, not bothering to greet the trio.

"What are you guys doing?" Lee asked, raising an eyebrow at the awkward situation the two were displaying.

"Come on Lee, all alone in the common room? What could they _possibly_ be doing?" Fred jested, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I didn't know you had a thing for foreign girls, Harry." George mused. Harry reddened at their comments, rolling his eyes with exasperation.

"It's not like that, something is wrong with her. She hasn't said anything since I walked in a few minutes ago, and if you haven't noticed yet she's acting really strange." The trio blinked and looked at the blonde girl who, indeed, was shivering and staring blankly at the floor.

"She's not asleep, right? The last time she was asleep on the couch I came out really bad." Fred complained, pointing to the side of his head. George nodded in agreement as he rubbed his nose. Lee, however, frowned and walked over to Usagi, waving a hand in her face like Harry had moments before.

"Hey Usagi!" He shouted when she didn't respond. Finally, she raised her head to look at him, her eyes dark and cold. Lee took a reflexive step back under her gaze. Her lips parted ever so slightly.

"_Pray for death upon your knees; souls can travel on the breezes; kiss the sickle with your blood; fate would save you if she could._" Her words came out in a low, monotonous tone. A collective shudder passed through all four of them as the mood sobered drastically. Her limbs, previously tangled in a fetal position, stretched out and she stood. No one moved as the girl glided past them, towards the girls' dormitories. A few apprehensive glances shared, all four of them trailed her up the spiral steps.

(AN: Yes, yes, there's a spell on the stairs to the girls' dormitory, but I'm an all-powerful authoress and so I changed it -.-; )

Usagi entered the fourth years' dormitory and stumbled clumsily to her four-poster. Dropping to her knees in front of her trunk, she fiddled with the clasps awkwardly, oblivious to the others in the room. Seeing as no one else to any action, Harry stepped forward.

"Usagi?" He questioned, feeling rather stupid. Obviously, if she didn't respond before she wasn't going to now. The blonde finally found success in opening her trunk, and she dug in it for a few moments before pulling out a small dagger. One glimpse of the polished steel was all Lee needed as motivation. He jumped forward and pinned Usagi's arms while Harry wrestled the blade from her hands.

"_Crimson tears spill from your eyes; the life you used to know turned lies; destiny has changed her tune; leaving you among the ruin._" The tone of Usagi's voice had risen to a shout, now filled with anger. She kicked at Harry as he backed away and struggled against Lee's hold.

"What now?" Fred asked uneasily from the sidelines, watching Usagi thrash wildly.

"We should take her to Pomfrey, and fast, or we'll be dealing with the whole Gryffindor house soon." Harry replied, and the other three nodded at his logic. Suddenly, Usagi ceased all movement and went completely limp. Surprised at the sudden shift in weight, Lee's knees buckled and they both fell over.

"So, who volunteers to carry her?" George inquired, eyeing the unmoving blonde warily.

"I will," Harry sighed. With some effort, they heaved the girl onto Harry's back, piggy-back style, and left for the Hospital Wing.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" Lee asked tersely, voicing the question they were all thinking. Madame Pomfrey's mouth thinned into a straight line as she glared at the four, almost as if saying 'why are you still here?' 

"I don't _know_ what's wrong with her, Lee Jordan. You should go back to your common room." She replied sharply, pointing towards the door for emphasis.

"You have to have some idea," Harry argued, all of them standing their ground. Pomfrey sighed, the stress from dealing with magical illness for so many years apparent in the lines of her face. She dropped into a nearby chair and looked over at the still girl on the bed, looking like an eerie dress-up doll.

"Normally, I'd suggest catatonia, but according to your story it doesn't really fit. Catatonic people don't usually speak and they can sit still for hours on end, not to mention they're rarely violent. It seems like she had a brief psychotic episode, or something of the sort, and now her mind is exhausted. I've never seen anything quite like it." The nurse admitted, never moving her eyes from the girl.

"Is there anything we can do?" Fred asked, uncharacteristically solemn as he too stared at Usagi. Madam Pomfrey shook her head, turning back to the group of them.

"Only wait, so I'd prefer if you went back to your common room and return another time. Professor Dumbledore will come first thing in the morning to see about her, maybe he can help her." The woman abruptly stood, regaining her stern demeanor and pointing at the door for a second time.

"_Corpses buried in the ashes; tears collected on their lashes; angry voices whisper into the cold; sharing their fates, stories untold_." Usagi's voice was barely a whisper, and they hadn't been silent when she'd spoken, they wouldn't have noticed it at all. An anxious air hovered around them as they all stared once more. Behind the shadows over her pale face, a lone tear slipped down her cheek, but her eyes were still glazed over.

"What do you make of it, Harry?" Lee questioned, the four of them finally making the trip back to their commons. They'd seen fit to leave before Pomfrey resorted to brute force.

"I don't know," Harry replied distractedly, his mind wandering. He kept jumping back to the episode in the retirement home, when Usagi had collapsed suddenly. When he'd asked about it later, she seemed really tense and completely stiffed his question.

'_Could she have been...? No, she wouldn't._' He assured himself, banishing the thought from his mind. Somehow, however, it lingered.

* * *

"...be safer to put up mental barriers?" Harry froze midway through pushing the hospital wing door open and pulled it back to a crack. The voice of Madame Pomfrey echoed in his ears as he peered through the opening. He couldn't see the people speaking, but the next voice was indefinitely Albus Dumbledore. 

"She won't know what happened when she comes to; it'll be difficult to explain. It'd be too risky, we should just leave it be." The elder headmaster said, sounding sure of his decision. Harry swung the door open and walked in nonchalantly, quickly spotting the two Hogwarts staff members standing outside the curtain pulled around Usagi's bed. Their posture immediately tensed, but he was sure he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't overheard a piece of their obviously secret conversation.

"How is she?" The green-eyed boy asked, full of concern. Apparently convinced he hadn't heard anything, they relaxed visibly. Harry's mind reeled with the possibilities of their meanings. Why would Usagi need mental barriers? Was someone trying to control her, and if so, who? Madam Pomfrey gave him her usual narrow-eyed glare and Harry immediately knew what was coming.

"She still hasn't recovered. You aren't allowed to see her yet." The nurse pointed towards the exit and Harry sighed. Ever since they brought Usagi to the hospital wing, they hadn't laid eyes on her. He'd seen the twins and Lee up here several times, but Madam Pomfrey simply wouldn't budge in her resolve to isolate the blonde-haired Japanese girl.

"Professor Dumbledore, do you know what's wrong with her?" Harry asked suddenly, remembering the silver-haired headmaster was there. Dumbledore peered down at him and shook his head sadly/

"I'm sorry, Harry, but we're going to have to wait until she wakes up to find out more." He said. Harry pursed his lips together, dying to scream 'Liar!' He restrained himself and nodded in understanding. As he left the hospital wing confused and slightly upset, his thoughts wandered.

The other Hogwarts students had started suggesting ludicrous reasons for her absence, but Harry paid no mind to them. Everyone had forgotten about it anyway as the announcement that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were arriving came up one night at dinner. Harry met up with Ron and Hermione outside of the Great Hall, and they sat down for dinner together.

"Do you think Usagi will be back in time for the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang?" Hermione asked concerned. Harry shrugged lightly.

"Pomfrey hasn't let me in to see her at all." He explained. Hermione glanced at him with worry as he picked through his food, looking ever pensive.

"Maybe she's really sick and Pomfrey doesn't want you to catch it." She offered. Harry nodded, remembering he still hadn't told his friends what really happened with the blonde girl that night. He had the feeling Usagi wouldn't want anyone else to know about it, so he'd kept his mouth shut. Frowning with determination, he sat his fork down and stood from the table.

"Harry, where are you going?" Ron inquired, looking up at his raven-haired friend. Harry didn't respond as he left the Great Hall.

* * *

"Madame Pomfrey, please, I _have_ to see her. What harm could it possibly do to spend five minutes with her?" Harry pleaded shamelessly, mustering up the best puppy eyes he had. With a sigh of pure exasperation, Madame Pomfrey threw her hands into the air. 

"Alright, five minutes in there and not a _nanosecond_ more. Do you understand me?" She glared menacingly at him, but Harry simply nodded and slipped behind the curtain before the temperamental woman changed her mind. Apprehensively he turned towards Usagi, and he stood frozen for quite a while at the sight.

She was sitting up, her back resting against several pillows. Her eyes were glazed and staring into the dull white sheets that covered her body. As he sat next to her, he noticed the dark circled under her eyes, convinced she hadn't slept a wink since they'd brought her here. The skin over her face looked stretched and pallid, even paler than was normal. Still, he had an objective to coming here, and he wasn't about to get kicked out by Pomfrey before he accomplished it.

"Usagi, that day in the retirement home, what really happened to you?" He whispered, leaning in closer as he did so. The dull look on her face flickered a few times, and her hands clenched into fists in her lap.

"_You can still hear the screams as if they were new, the agony planted there long since grew, death cannot save you now since you can't hide, unless it's the death that lives in your eyes._" She said clearly.

"What does that mean, Usagi?" Harry pressed on, raising his voice above a whisper and watching bewildered as she started to fidget.

"_The only one worthy of death is you, the pain in your heart threw your whole life askew, and you couldn't stop it no matter how hard you tried, so you fell into your last resort of suicide._" She whispered as her voice faded. Her fidgeting stopped and she regressed into the still doll she was when he'd walked in. Harry cringed as the last word echoed through his head, confirming the thought he'd been ruthlessly denying.

He nearly yelped in shock when the blonde's hand shot upward, cradling the sides of her head. Her fingers bent, digging her nails into her scalp as she rocked back and forth. She shook her head vigorously, almost whimpering as she did so.

"Usagi, snap out of it!" Harry said, grabbing onto her arms. All of a sudden, she froze, and her head snapped towards him. Her eyes regained their shimmer of life and she stared back at him, looking completely disoriented.

"H-Harry? What's going on?" She asked, her voice trembling. Harry's hands were still holding her arms, and he could feel her shivering like she had when he'd first found her in the common room.

"Usagi, what's wrong?" He asked as gently as possible. Usagi stared at him, looking like she was simply going to fall to pieces, before she threw her arms around him and let out the sob she'd been holding back. Harry tensed and looked down at the distraught blonde almost fearfully, wondering what to do. Slowly he hugged her back, the seemingly wise thing to do, and sighed with relief as she relaxed a little. Slowly, she regained composure and pulled away, averting her gaze from him completely.

"Usagi, that day when you collapsed in the retirement home, were you..." He paused again as he tried to find some easier wordage, but none came. "Usagi, were you trying to commit suicide?"

"Um...yes, I was." Usagi replied, barely audible as she chewed on her lip nervously. Harry sat back in his chair and absorbed the information.

"Why?" He finally asked. Usagi closed her eyes. She'd known he was going to ask that but it still didn't make it any easier to say.

"Well, because..."

* * *

Ugh...I suck, you know? -laughs dully- I so dread the revision of next chapter. 

-SachiNyoko-


	7. Hello Helios

"Well, because," Usagi started. Her words hung in the air for several moments why she tried to distinguish the reason in her mind. Could she put that feeling into words; was it even possible? She didn't want to say it wrong and have Harry think her motivation for attempting was stupid, hardly a reason at all.

However, when it came down to it, she didn't want Harry to hate her for what she'd done. Her attempt warped her relationship with her family, with Motoki and Naru and Umino. What reason would anyone, especially Harry Potter, have to hang out with some depressed suicidal maniac? There was no reason, and she didn't want to lose another friend. She didn't want to voice her reason.

"I have to tell the whole story and it's going to sound kind of weird. Just brace yourself, okay?" Usagi warned, abandoning her internal war. When Harry nodded, she knew there was no turning back. "I was Princess Serenity of the White Moon in my past life, and now I am the champion of justice in Japan known as Sailor Moon, or at least I was." At the dumbfounded expression on Harry's face, she merely shrugged.

"I told you it was weird. Anyway, I wasn't the only one. I had protectors, the royal princesses of each planet in the solar system, and sailor soldier of each planet in the future. The four inner guardians were Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, and the outer guardians were Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

"Then there was Endymion, the prince of the Earth. In our past lives, our love was forbidden because of controversy between our kingdoms. In the future, however, we were destined to be married and establish the kingdom of Crystal Tokyo. Are you following?" Usagi turned her eyes back to Harry, who nodded his response. If the look on her face hadn't been so nostalgic, he wouldn't have believed a word of it.

"As soldiers and guardians of our planets, we fought forces of evil in Japan called youma. The word 'youma' itself means monster in Japanese, so you can imagine they came in all sorts of forms, some attractive, some hideous, and some almost human-like. In the end, they were minions to a central power that we defeated eventually.

"We fought together for a long time and, as a result, became very close friends. When you share so many experiences, especially as soldiers fighting evil, a bond grows that can't be broken easily, you know? We understood each other better than anyone else ever could. After we defeated Chaos, the ultimate enemy, we knew that our fight was over. We could finally enjoy peaceful lives.

"Then, one night, another evil came unexpectedly. He captured my brother, Shingo, and lured the sailor soldiers out of their peaceful existence, me specifically. He killed Shingo, and then the sailor soldiers one by one, but all I could do was watch. My friends, my _sisters_, were ripped away, and then the love of my life.

"Yet, he didn't grant me the freedom of death. He left me there, in the Tokyo streets, with all my friends dead around me. He said he wanted me to live, to suffer the death of my loved ones, and that he'd return to kill me when the time was right. I tried to bring my friends back. I tried to use the Ginzuishou, the crystal that I get all my powers from, but it wouldn't respond to my pleas.

"A week later, my mom rushed me to the hospital because I'd slit my wrists in my bedroom. My dad had to break down the door to get in. Then, the day I met you in the retirement home, I'd taken a whole bottle of Tylenol a few hours before. My mom took me to therapists, but what could I tell them? How could I explain it?

"I couldn't live anymore, Harry, not after what had happened, after everything I'd seen. I have nightmares, and I can still see it when I close my eyes, and I can still hear it when it gets quiet. To die seems cowardly, I know, but...I'm not really living anymore. I try but, I never feel the same. No matter how happy I try to be, I know it's not real."

Usagi stopped, her eyes swimming behind tears as she tried to level her shaky voice again. Harry sat silently, almost looking stupefied, until he reached out his hands. Usagi didn't notice the raven-haired boy's movement until his hands grabbed her own. She flinched, and as he turned her wrists upward to view her scars she jerked her hands back.

"Harry Potter you've been back here for more than 20 minutes now" Madam Pomfrey stopped on her tirade when she met the eyes of Usagi. Her jaw hung open for several seconds, until Usagi spoke.

"Um...hi," She mumbled. The nurse nearly pounced on her, instructing Harry to wait outside. Usagi watched him go with wide eyes, until her view was blocked by the curtains around her bed. Harry chuckled to himself at the overzealous nurse and sat down to wait. A good five minutes later, Usagi burst through the curtains, pulling on her robes to readjust them.

"I'm _fine_ Madame Pomfrey. I need to go to the common room to catch up on stuff." She argued as the nurse appeared behind her, insisting she stay overnight. Desperate, Usagi hauled Harry to his feet and pulled him towards the exit. Catching on, Harry sprinted beside her as they left the hospital wing quite unceremoniously.

Usagi laughed as Pomfrey appeared in the doorway behind them, screaming her lungs out. Harry grinned over at her, but as they slowed to a walk, neither of them spoke. The thought of Harry treating her differently now weighed heavily on the blonde's mind. Without realizing it, she'd come to a dead stop in the middle of the hall. Harry was waving his hand in her face, trying to snap her out of it.

"Hey! Please don't freak out on me again. Can you hear me?" He asked frantically. Usagi blinked in confusion a few times before she broke into a soft smile.

"I'm okay, just thinking." She replied.

"Oh...about what," He inquired, encouraging her to start walking again. Slowly they made their way towards the Gryffindor commons again, Usagi brooding over whether to tell Harry what she'd really been thinking about. What if he really did dislike her now?

"Do you...do you think I'm stupid for what I did? You know, attempting suicide?" She finally asked, bracing herself for the expected answer. To her surprise, Harry shook his head, tousling his already messy hair.

"I think I can understand how close you were with your friends. Losing them all at once must have been devastating. I'm just glad you weren't successful." Usagi looked up in disbelief, absorbing the smile that Harry was giving her. She found herself smiling back, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Thank you so much, Harry. You really don't know how much that means to me." They reached the portrait of the fat lady, and shared a glance before saying the password. Harry stepped in first, and as Usagi followed behind she heard the shout from Hermione.

"Harry! We've been so worried, where have you been?" The brunette asked, running over to them. Ron wasn't very far behind, though he didn't look quite as frantic as the girl beside him. Harry stared at Hermione, looking mildly surprised, but simply shrugged his response.

"I was in the hospital wing." He replied. Hermione looked slightly miffed at being brushed off, but it disappeared as soon as she spotted Usagi. The blonde girl laughed, cutting her off before she could speak.

"I'm fine, I just had a really bad case of the flu. Madame Pomfrey didn't want anyone else to catch it." Usagi explained, sending a pointed glance at Harry. He nodded in return, and rolled his eyes when Hermione sent him a look that said 'I told you so.' Usagi chatted with the trio animatedly for a while before parting. As she made her way across the common room, she crept up behind Lee Jordan and placed her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?"

"Um...Neville?" Usagi laughed.

"Not quite." Lee grinned as he pulled her hands away, turning to face her.

"Hullo Usa, what's up?"

"Nothing really, where's Fred and George?" Usagi inquired, looking around for the red-headed twins.

"I'm not sure, they left a while ago." Lee responded.

"Oh. What are you working on?" Usagi asked, peering over his shoulder at the parchment in front of him.

"Just finished an essay for Snape," Lee replied, putting his homework away.

"Do you want to go for a walk with me?" Usagi asked, glancing out the window.

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

"Oh, what's that?" Usagi asked, pointing to the large stadium across the grass. She marveled at the tall hoops and elevated stands before turning to Lee for her answer. 

"That is the Quidditch pitch, where they play Quidditch. Harry, Fred, and George play on the Gryffindor team, but it was cancelled this year because of the Triwizard tournament." Lee replied offhandedly, looking around them in confusion. "Where are we going again?"

"To the forbidden forest. You don't mind, do you?" Usagi said, looking into the dark woods that loomed ahead of them. The place still freaked her out, but she felt something pulling her there and had an idea what it was. At the sunset, however, the woods looked a hundred times more menacing than usual. Lee stared for a moment, clearly surprised, before he shrugged.

"That's fine with me." He answered. When they approached the forest, Usagi stepped forward and laid her hand on the trunk of the nearest tree, closing her eyes. Lee watched silently, wondering what on earth his blonde friend was doing. She creased her brow in concentration as she called for the person she was looking for. '_I knew he was here._'

"Helios," she muttered, just loud enough for Lee to hear her. He was about to ask who Helios was, but was interrupted by the loud neighing sound over their heads. His jaw dropped when he saw the winged horse swoop down and land in front of Usagi. Casually, the blonde stretched her hand out and patted its nose affectionately.

"Usagi, is that a unicorn?" Lee asked, still openly staring at the creature, thought he'd managed to close his mouth.

"Not quite. Helios is a pegasus. You can't touch him if you want, he won't hurt you." The red eyes of the pegasus glanced at Usagi reproachfully, but she only smiled at him. Lee reached his hand out, somewhat nervously, and patted Helios's nose. The horse nuzzled his palm and the boy relaxed. "See? He likes you."

'_Princess, I need to speak with you alone._' Helios's voice echoed in her mind. Usagi looked down sadly before sighing, her smile returning full force.

"I'll come and see you later, ne Helios?" She said, letting go as the horse flapped its wings and disappeared over the forest. The blonde watched her fried go silently, the sadness seeping back into her eyes.

"You have unicorn friends too?" Lee jested, trying to pull the girl back to Earth.

"Helios isn't a unicorn." Usagi protested softly, still staring up at the sky. Lee glanced at her worriedly, but she turned back towards him with a bright smile, her sadness gone completely. "Come one, let's go back. I'm sure I have a ton of homework to do." She turned and sprinted back towards the castle, leaving Lee standing there confused.

"Hey! Wait up!" He shouted, running after her.

* * *

You know, revising this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be at first. 

§SachiNyoko§ 'No man can make you feel inferior without your consent.' (Eleanor Roosevelt)


	8. Lockets and Bite Marks

Usagi opened her eyes to small slits. She was just now waking up, sprawled on her four-poster bed. The covers were tangled around her, clear evidence that she'd been tossing and turning all night. She yawned and stretched out, not aware that she was on the edge of her bed. With a thump she fell off.

"Ow." Usagi breathed. She untangled herself from the covers and threw them back on the bed after standing. She walked over to the window and sat on the sill, staring out over the grounds. But her eyes wouldn't look past her tired reflection on the spotless glass. Her hair was disheveled and her puffy eyes made her look terribly tired. The dark circles under her eyes had lightened to a less noticeable color, but they were still there.

Usagi sighed and changed into her school robes. Fixing her hair quickly, she left the dormitory while the other girls still slept. She continuously rubbed at her eyes while walking out of the castle and onto the grounds. The grass was still very damp from the morning dew, and it soaked the hem of her robes. She ignored this and kept walking with no real destination.

"Hullo Usagi." Usagi jumped as a familiar voice addressed her. She looked up to see Harry in front of her.

"Hey." She muttered quietly.

"You look tired, why are you up so early?" Harry asked, watching Usagi sway a little on her feet.

"Hmm? I'm fine, I couldn't sleep." Usagi yawned. "What are you doing out here so early?"

"Sending a letter." Harry replied with a backwards glance at the Owlery. Usagi nodded her understanding. "You want to come to breakfast with me? I know you have to be tired, you haven't eaten in days."

"Um...yeah, sure." Usagi nodded and followed him back up to the castle. They entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. There were only a few people there, and they were tediously trying to finish their homework before morning classes while eating their breakfast at an alarming rate. The two helped themselves to food. "I wonder how they keep the food hot so long."

"Probably with some sort of spell." Harry mused as he dug in to his eggs. Usagi followed suit, only at a slower pace. Harry watched her as she ate bites small enough for a two year old. "You eat like a bird."

"Do not." Usagi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do too." Harry laughed. Usagi scrunched up her nose.

"Bet I can eat faster than you." Usagi challenged.

"You're on." Harry said as he held his fork over his plate. Usagi did the same.

"3...2...1...Go!" The two began to tear their plates apart like rabid dogs. That's how Ron and Hermione found them, shoveling down their food.

"You guys got tape worms or something?" Ron asked as he sat next to Harry. They completely ignored him and carried on with their contest. Hermione and Ron watched with interest as they filled their plates. Usagi threw down her fork seconds before Harry did. She leaned back slightly and laughed at him.

"Ha! I beat you!" She taunted.

"I let you win." Harry said.

"Oh yeah right! You just don't want to admit you lost an eating contest to a girl." Usagi said while laughing. Ron started laughing too.

"You got beat by a girl, Harry?" He asked, shaking with laughter.

"Shut up, Ron, you couldn't beat her either if you tried." Harry said defensively.

"So what? It's still hilarious!" Ron said between fits of laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes at him. They calmed down after a bit and went back to eating breakfast.

* * *

"Today, we are--" Professor Sprout began, only to be interrupted by Argus Filch walking into the room.

"The Headmaster wishes to see Miss Tsukino in his office." Filch announced, setting his eyes directly on Usagi. She sent a confused glance at Harry before following Filch out. Harry waved at her as she walked through the door. The two walked swiftly and silently towards the castle.

"Why does Dumbledore want to see me?" Usagi asked curiously.

"How should I know? You'll find out in a moment." Filch muttered before stopping in front of a large stone griffin. "Sugar quill."

The griffin came to life and jumped aside. The two stepped on a winding escalator and rose to the top until they reached an office. Usagi looked around blandly at the interesting trinkets that filled the office. The headmaster was sitting at his desk and peering at Usagi interestingly over his half moon spectacles.

"Hey." Usagi greeted dully as she watched Filch leave again.

"Good Morning, Miss Tsukino." Dumbledore smiled and motioned for her to sit down. She did so.

"Just Usagi please."

"Very well, Usagi. There's something I wanted to speak with you about." Dumbledore said, pausing to note Usagi's response.

"Go ahead." Usagi invited, curious as to why he brought her from class to talk with her.

"The day you arrived at Hogwarts you mentioned to me that you were on a mission to protect Harry Potter, correct?"

"Yes." Usagi nodded.

"I was just wondering about one small thing. Did you receive the necklace your mother left for you?" Dumbledore asked. Usagi blinked.

"Yes, if you mean this one." She said pulling the golden chain that was tucked into her robes out to reveal the golden locket.

"Ah yes, that's the one. Thank you for your time, Usagi, I didn't mean to interrupt your classes. You may leave." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at her. Usagi sat there in a daze for a moment before rising from her chair and leaving the office. She looked down at the locket, fingering it affectionately.

'_What was that all about?_' Usagi wondered as she exited the castle, headed back to the greenhouses. She was distracted by a familiar neighing sound coming from the Forbidden Forest. Usagi changed directions and headed towards the forest.

"Helios..." Usagi whispered at the white horse before her. He was standing next to Hagrid's hut, staring at her with his beautiful red eyes. Hagrid was nowhere to be seen. Apparently he'd dismissed his previous class early and left.

"Princess." Helios transformed into his human form. Usagi eyed him with a mixture of sadness and fear.

"Why are you here, Helios?" She asked slowly, struggling over her words.

"I'm sorry about what happened, Princess." Helios said softly, walking closer to her. Usagi stepped back a little.

"No, I'm sorry. Chibiusa disappeared and it's my fault. I'm sorry." Usagi whispered. Fresh tears stung at her eyes as she stared into Helios' eyes, equally sad as hers.

"It's not your fault, destiny changed, it wasn't meant to be." Helios said, stepping closer still.

"Just because destiny changed doesn't mean that all my friends had to die." Usagi whispered bitterly.

"Maybe it did. If they hadn't, would you have parted with them? Would you have come to England?" Helios asked. Usagi shook her head no, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"We came to England after Shingo died in that freak accident. Not because of destiny." Usagi said defiantly. Helios walked closer, now directly in front of her. Her put his arms around her shoulders in a comforting sort of way.

"Usagi, Shingo died because of destiny. Your destiny is here now, with these people. I know it hurts you but you have to keep going, for your sake and for those around you. Though things are peaceful now, times are going to change soon and Harry Potter will need your protection. There are still people who need you here, you can't leave." Helios told her softly.

"I-I know, but I don't know if I can help him. I don't know if I'm strong enough." Usagi said, sniffling. Helios looked up as he sensed students drawing closer to them. He transformed back into his Pegasus form.

'_As long as you follow your heart, you can conquer anything. Remember that you can take on any obstacle that comes your way as long as you have hope._' Usagi wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robes as she heard her class coming. She pulled away from Helios.

"Thank you." She whispered as the rest of the class arrived. They stopped in their chitchat when they noticed their classmate standing next to the white Pegasus.

"Oh wow, it's a unicorn!" Lavender Brown squealed. The girls broke into excited chatter as the Slytherins arrived.

"Actually, he's a Pegasus." Usagi corrected, patting Helios' nose. Helios looked at her questioningly, as if asking if he could leave.

"What's with the horse, Tsukino?" Malfoy drawled, staring at Helios dully.

"Pegasus." Usagi corrected, half glaring at him.

"Whatever." Malfoy rolled his eyes. Helios glared at him, which looked rather strange with a horse's face.

"Can we pet him?" Parvati Patil asked breathlessly. Usagi looked at Helios. The look in his eye clearly said no.

"Sure." Usagi nodded and smiled apologetically at Helios. All the girls present rushed forward. Helios tossed his head to the side in protest. "Wait, one at a time. Don't crowd him or he'll get restless."

"Me first." Pansy Parkinson said, pushing her way to the front of the group. Helios looked at Usagi in dismay, which had to utilize all self-control to not burst out laughing. Pansy stroked his nose roughly, making Helios toss his head side to side in protest and resist the urge to bite her hand.

"I don't think he likes you." Usagi said, placing a hand on Helios' nose protectively and still trying to control her laughter. Pansy glared and walked back over to the Slytherin group. Lavender Brown was next. She patted his nose and he nuzzled her hand. She giggled and moved aside to let one of the others have a turn. Usagi glanced over at the boys, who were standing around with nothing to do.

"He won't bite you. Unlike unicorns, the Pegasi don't mind boys as much." Usagi said. Within minutes she was surrounded by most of the class, with the exception of several Slytherins. Harry walked over to talk with Usagi as the class took turns petting Helios.

"I brought your books for you." Harry said, motioning to her bag.

"Thank you." Usagi smiled. Helios ignored the people around him and watched the two.

"What did Dumbledore want?" Harry asked.

"Oh, nothing much, just wanted to ask me a question." Usagi shrugged.

"Really? Where'd you get the necklace?" Usagi looked down at the locket and realized she hadn't tucked it away.

"That was a gift from my mother, I've had it for a while." Usagi said, hiding in it in her robes again.

"Oh." Harry said. Suddenly, they heard a yelp and the class burst into laughter. Harry and Usagi looked over to see Malfoy holding his hand.

"What happened?" Usagi asked, though she could pretty much guess.

"It bit him!" Pansy shrieked, trying to look at it. Malfoy pulled away. Usagi and Harry both burst out laughing as well.

"Looks like he has a problem with stupid gits." Ron laughed. Malfoy glared.

"Shut up, Weasley."

"What's goin' on 'ere?" The class fell silent as Hagrid arrived, making his way to the center of the group. There he saw Malfoy holding his hand, Pansy trying to help him, Harry and Usagi laughing hysterically, and an amused Pegasus.

"We were just learning about this Pegasus, Professor. Usagi decided to tell us about it since you weren't here but Malfoy made it mad and it bit him." Dean said quickly.

"Uh, yeah." Usagi said, calming her laughter.

"As I was saying. According to Greek Mythology, when Perseus decapitated the gorgon Medusa, she was already pregnant by the sea god Poseidon who had visited her in the form of a stallion. As her body fell to the ground, the two offspring of this union, Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor leapt fully developed from her body. Pegasus is a lunar animal and represents one of the aspects of the great goddess when, as the Mareheaded Mother, she was known as Leucippe, the white mare.

"Pegasus is said to have the ability to cause a fountain of water to gush out wherever he stamps his moon shaped hoof, and his name actually means 'of the wells'. He created a fountain known as 'the horse well', for the muses at Hippocrene. The waters conferred poetical inspiration of all who drank there and Pegasus is also the inspiration of those who strive to perfect their poetic gifts." Usagi finished. The class gaped at her.

"Dang, if I don' watch out, I'll be losin' my job to Miss Usagi 'ere." Hagrid mused. "Twenty points fer Gryffindor. You migh' wan' ter go see Madam Pomfrey about your hand, Malfoy."

"I'll get you for this, Tsukino." Malfoy grumbled as he walked towards the castle. Hagrid took over the lesson from there, conferring back to the beloved Blast Ended Skrewts. Usagi said goodbye to Helios as he left for the forest and joined the rest of the class.

* * *

Hullo! - I didn't really feel like rereading this chapter, so there may be some mistakes. -.-

I broke 100 reviews! YAY! glomps reviewers Keep 'em coming:D

§SachiNyoko§ 'It's not ADD, I'm just ignoring you.'


	9. Naps, Pictures, and Veela

Usagi tried her best to listen to what Professor Moody was saying, but her mind wouldn't focus. All she could gather was that they were going to be testing the Imperius Curse again. She watched the students dance around and doing flips. Though it was quite amusing, she soon found her head drooping down to her desk. It had been days since her stay at the infirmary, yet she still neglected getting a decent night's sleep.

'_Do a tap dance_' Usagi's eyes snapped open. She had definitely heard a voice in the back of her head, one that she recognized but couldn't place, and it was telling her to...tap dance?

'_I'm going crazy._' Usagi sighed and closed her eyes again.

'_Go on...tap dance..._' Usagi groaned.

'_Go away, I'm too tired._' Usagi felt her body standing from her chair.

'_You know you want to..._' She frowned and sat back down forcefully.

'_No, I don't. Stop it._' Her legs moved to the side as if trying to stand again, but she gripped the desk stubbornly.

'_Tap dance!_'

"NO! Stop it and go away!" Usagi screamed. The voice stopped immediately. The class was staring at her, shocked. She flushed and let go of the desk. "Um...sorry."

"Splendid, Tsukino! You threw off the Imperius Curse on your first try! Have you ever considered being an Auror?" Moody exclaimed at her, making her jump.

"What? Um...no, not really." Usagi muttered, her mind still foggy.

"Well, you should, as long as you plan on staying awake in my class from now on. That's all for today's lesson, you're dismissed." Moody said as he hobbled back to his desk. The class packed up their things and left. Harry walked over to Usagi.

"You still aren't sleeping, are you?" He asked half accusingly. Usagi shrugged.

"Not really." She replied nonchalantly, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

"You're going to exhaust yourself." Harry mused as they walked towards the Great Hall.

"Maybe." Usagi responded half-heartedly, gazing at the ground tiredly.

"I just don't get how you can be so tired and still not be able to sleep." Harry said.

"Neither do I, honestly." Usagi admitted as they entered the Great Hall for lunch.

* * *

Over the next day or two, Usagi noticed that the castle seemed to be much cleaner. They even started decorating the Great Hall with large silk banners that represented each of the houses. Usagi stared at them for a while, not really interested in her meal.

"Hey Usagi." Usagi jumped when Lee addressed her. She looked at him with a bright smile.

"Yes?" She asked cheerfully.

"Are you okay? You look sorta out of it." Lee commented. Usagi shrugged.

"Just a little tired." She responded, stifling a yawn.

"Just a little?" Lee questioned.

"Yes, you wanna walk with me to class? It's on your way, I think." Usagi muttered distractedly as she gather up her stuff to leave.

"Sure." Lee gathered his things as well and they left the Great Hall together.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked again, watching as she stumbled along, trying to keep her focus.

"I'm fine." Usagi said flatly. She let out a small yelp as she tripped over her own feet and fell sprawled on the hard stone floor of the hallway. Lee bent down next to her.

"Usagi, you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Usagi mumbled, sitting up and rubbing the side of her face. "That hurt though."

"I'm sure it did." Lee half laughed and offered his hand to pull her to her feet. Usagi reached her hand out to grab his but never quite made it. The lack of sleep over the past week had finally taken its toll; she collapsed backwards, out cold. Lee blinked.

"Um...Usagi?" He bent down again and tried to shake her awake, to no avail. He sighed and shook his head. "I knew you weren't sleeping. Guess I should take you to the hospital wing then."

Lee moved his and Usagi's bags off to the side so no one would steal them before picking up the sleeping girl. She was lighter than he'd expected, and carrying her wasn't too much of a strain. Luckily, they were pretty close to the hospital wing anyways, so he didn't have far to walk.

"You can go to class now, Lee Jordan, she'll be sleeping a while." Madam Pomfrey said, raising an eyebrow at him as he stretched out in a chair to wait.

"Aww, do I have too?" Lee whined, putting on his best puppy eyes.

"Yes." Madam Pomfrey said sternly, pointing at the door. Lee sighed and headed for the door.

"Darn, almost got out of Potions." He sighed and went back to get his bag. He swung it over his shoulder and went to grab Usagi's as well, when something caught his eye. The corner of a picture was sticking out of a pocket on her bag. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he seized the corner and pulled the picture out.

The picture was that of a group of girls, all around the same age. Usagi was in the center of the picture with her arms wrapped possessively around the neck of a guy that looked to be a few years older than she was. A little girl with sugary pink hair done up in cone buns was on the other side of the guy, pulling on the guys arm and glaring at Usagi. He was sweatdropping, and the girls in the picture were laughing at the spectacle.

'_Were these Usagi's friends in Japan? Well then that weird rhyme thing that she was saying...was she talking about...?_' Lee shook his head and tucked the picture away again, deciding to think about it later. His eyes widened as he realized he was supposed to be in Potions. He picked up Usagi's bag and ran towards the dungeons as fast as his feet would carry him.

* * *

"Hey Lee, where's Usagi?" Harry asked at dinner.

"In the hospital wing, sleeping." Lee replied distractedly, still pondering the picture. Harry shook his head.

"I knew she was going to do that." He mused to himself. After dinner he went to the hospital wing to check on her, but Madam Pomfrey refused.

"I won't let you in, I don't want her to wake up yet." She said sternly, and then made him leave. Harry sighed and made his way back to the common room.

* * *

Before anyone new it, the day for Beauxbaton and Durmstrang's arrival was upon them. The air was thick with anticipation and no one could concentrate on their schoolwork. Harry was excited too, but he kept wondering when Usagi would wake up. He didn't want her to miss the arrival of the two schools. However, that night when everyone was getting ready to greet the schools, she was still nowhere to be seen. Harry promised Ron and Hermione that he would meet up with them later and headed for the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey greeted him at the door.

"Potter? What are you doing here? You should be in the Entrance Hall." She scolded.

"Is Usagi awake? She can't miss the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang." Harry said.

"I believe that Miss Tsukino's health is much more important than some silly event." Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

"But--" Harry started, but he was cut off.

"Besides, Miss Tsukino is perfectly awake. She woke up about an hour ago." Usagi peeked out from behind Madam Pomfrey and smiled.

"Hullo Harry." She greeted. Harry stared in surprise for a moment.

"Hello." He replied, smiling. Madam Pomfrey shooed them to the Entrance Hall.

"After all that fuss, Potter, surely you don't want to miss it." Madam Pomfrey said as they walked quickly towards the Entrance Hall.

"No." Harry replied as they reached their destination. The houses were just about to leave; they had made it in the nick of time. The teachers led them outside, lining them up in front of the castle. Everyone waited on tenterhooks for something to happen. A few excited whispers echoed through the air, but everything else was silent. Usagi zoned out, her mind wandering to nothing in particular. She was brought back to reality a few minutes later, when a large crashing sound broke through her subconscious.

Usagi blinked at the large carriage now perched on the Hogwarts grounds. It was drawn by four very large horses, and their landing had caused a minor earthquake under the students' feet. The carriage door swung open and a boy emerged, dressed in pale blue robes. He immediately bent down to release the golden steps in front of the doorway and then drew back, out of the way and to his feet in respect.

A shiny, black, high-heeled shoe protruded the carriage, followed by the largest woman that Usagi had ever seen in her life. She was about the same size as Hagrid, Usagi concluded as she watched the woman with curiosity. Dumbledore began to clap, bringing the rest of the students out of their stupor. The whole school joined in. The woman smiled and walked to Dumbledore, extending her hand towards him. He kissed the top of it.

Usagi shifted her attention back to the carriage as a dozen students filed out of it. She observed them for a while, trying not to blatantly stare. However, one girl stared back with a fire aglow in her blue eyes, the only thing visible under the scarf she wore over her head. Usagi stared back rather blankly, wondering why the girl was staring so hard at her. But the girl didn't avert her sharp gaze. After a moment, Usagi frowned and slipped through the crowd towards her. This wasn't too much of a task since she was so small, and Harry didn't even notice her absence.

"What is it?" Usagi muttered to the girl when she reached the edge of the crowd. The girl didn't say a word, but respectfully turned her eyes away and watched as the students of the newly arrived Durmstrang walked towards them. Usagi frowned again, also turning attention to the students. She brushed off the girl's antics and wandered back over to Harry. But when they headed back up to the Great Hall she felt those eyes on her again. Choosing to ignore it, she took her seat next to Harry at the Gryffindor table. The girl broke off from her classmates and chose the seat directly across from Usagi. Their eyes met once again, and Usagi's filled with a sparkling annoyance.

"What's your problem?" She asked hotly. This drew the attention of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But the girl once again ignored the question and looked up at Dumbledore as he finished his small welcoming message. The plates before them filled up with food.

"Don't start arguing with the foreign students, Usagi, you'll get in big trouble." Harry muttered to her.

"She was the one watching me!" Usagi said reproachfully, not bothering to lower her voice.

"Yes, but you looked at me first." Came the accented voice from across the table. The girl had finally taken off the scarf around her head, revealing the silvery blonde hair that fell around her pale face. Her blue eyes were still focused on Usagi with an air of curiosity and challenge.

"That doesn't mean you have to stalk me." Usagi replied calmly, staring back at the girl, who gave an amused laugh.

"My name is Fleur Delacour. I was just wondering if you have any veela blood in you." The girl announced, and she seemed sincere. Usagi blinked.

"Veela?" She repeated strangely.

"I suppose not then, sorry to have bothered you." Fleur smiled fleetingly and left to join her classmates at the Ravenclaw table. Usagi watched her go with interest.

"What's a veela?" Usagi asked, turning to Harry.

"Um...it's sort of what a muggle would consider a siren in mythology. Veela enchant men." Harry explained. "She probably thought you were one because you sorta look like one; long blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin. She must be part veela too."

"Oh." Usagi mumbled. She looked over at the girl again. '_We do sorta look alike._' She thought to herself as they headed back to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

Aloha! I know I didn't do the French accented words for Fleur Delacour's speaking. I'm too lazy. v.v;; But I did do so minor revising to the first few chapters of this story. Go check it out if you want.

Review!

§SachiNyoko§


	10. Draco's Revenge

The next day many of the students were awake much earlier than was normal on a Saturday due to the two schools inhabitance of Hogwarts. The edginess in the air was thicker than molasses, but one girl was still huddled in the comfort of her four-poster bed with her head buried under the pillow. She was startled out of her sleep by a ginger cat jumping on the bed and curling up on the pillow over her head.

Usagi slipped from under the pillow and pushed Crookshanks gently off of her bed. She realized that she was alone with the cat in her dorm and figured the others had already left for breakfast. She yawned widely and crawled out from under the covers. She sat down and brushed through her long blonde hair. Crookshanks rubbed against her legs as she bent over her trunk and pulled out a pair of khaki capris and a camouflage tank top. After changing, she stroked Crookshanks for a few minutes before wandering downstairs to grab some toast.

Hermione passed her on the stairs and said something about S.P.E.W. badges but she didn't stop. She waved to Harry and Ron, who were waiting for Hermione, and entered the Great Hall. She didn't spot anyone she knew there, so she grabbed a piece of toast as planned and went back to the entrance hall. It was then she noticed the Goblet of Fire sitting in the center of a thin golden circle. She'd remembered Dumbledore saying something about an age line. She shrugged it off and walked towards Harry and Ron.

"Watch out!" Someone screamed behind her. A first year collided with her and she bounced backwards. The next few seconds seemed to go by in slow motion. She stumbled backwards, over the age line in the center of the room. Her body connected with the stool that held the goblet and it toppled over with a crash, the goblet rolling across the room. Usagi was left sprawled in the middle of the age line as a deadening silence filled the room.

Dumbledore glided into the room seconds later to observe the scene. Usagi sat up and rubbed the back of her head. She soon realized that the entire hall was watching her. A few more teachers and students entered from the Great Hall. Usagi flushed in embarrassment from the attention.

"Erm...sorry..." She muttered. Mutters filled the hallway immediately.

"How come she isn't sprouting a beard?"

"Isn't she 15?"

"That doesn't seem fair."

"Maybe the spell's immune to foreigners."

"No, you idiot, the other two school's _are_ foreign."

"Oh yeah. Maybe just Japanese foreigners then?"

"SILENCE!" The students quieted immediately under Dumbledore's voice. He smiled cheerfully. "There. Are you okay, Miss Tsukino?"

"Yes." Usagi nodded, still red.

"Good. Would you be so kind as to pick up the Goblet, Minerva?"

"Of course." Professor McGonagall picked up the goblet and placed it back on the stool. The flame had minimized to a low crackle but it was growing again. Usagi moved out of the way as McGonagall placed the stool back in its place. Dumbledore turned to the students in the hall.

"I'm sure you are all very curious as to why Miss Tsukino here is not affected by the age line." There were murmurs of agreement. "Well, that is her business and she will tell you if she wishes. I would appreciate if you didn't pester her about it. I trust you can respect that."

"Thank you." Usagi muttered to the headmaster as he moved out of the room. He smiled and nodded slightly to her. Usagi walked out of the Great Hall and onto the grounds. Harry followed her with his eyes, knowing full well why the age line had no affect on her. Usagi walked out to the Forbidden Forest and glanced around before walking in. After getting a few feet in, she sat down and waited. Within several minutes, Helios emerged from the darkness of the trees in his human form. A small frown graced his lips.

"Princess." He said, bowing shortly. Usagi shook her head.

"All this time and you still haven't learned to drop the formalities." She mused, half annoyed. He smiled slightly and sat Indian style in front of her.

"It's hard to break old habits. I'm glad you came anyways, I needed to talk to you." Helios began.

"Yes?" Usagi asked, her curiosity peaking. Helios hesitated before speaking again, making Usagi even more interested.

"Look, Usagi, I know that you've been through a lot lately. More than most people go through in their entire lifetime. I'm sorry for all of your pain and I wish that I could take it away. But I can't, only you can make yourself better. It's not fair to the people that care about you if you keep hurting yourself. I know that it's hard, but you have to get past this. It won't happen all at once, but right now you aren't even trying.

"So, for my sake, for Harry Potter's sake, for everyone's sake. If Rei were here, she would smack you over the head and tell you to stop whining, wouldn't she? Makoto would want you to be strong; Haruka would want you to be strong. The senshi love you Usagi, they want you to get past this and be happy. I want to see you smile again, like you used to. So please, just try to make yourself happy. I'm here if you ever need to talk about anything." Helios ended, leaving Usagi in a stunned silence. She averted her eyes to the ground.

"You're right. I've been moping around, haven't I?" Helios nodded a little. "I'm such an idiot. I'll try, for you and for myself, okay?"

"Okay." Helios smiled as Usagi gave him a hug.

"I'm going to go find Harry, I'll come see you again soon." Usagi flashed him a smile and exited the forest. She soon realized that she had no idea where Harry had went, so she trudged back up to the castle to search for him. She ran into someone who she wasn't expecting instead.

"Hello, Tsukino."

"Why hello, Draco." Usagi replied. She suddenly became very aware that they were alone in the hallway.

"What are you doing, wandering around the halls all alone?" Draco asked mockingly.

"Waiting for some deranged person to jump me. Seems I won't have to wait much longer." She shot back. He chuckled lightly.

"It's not very smart, after I promised you revenge. I never break my word." Usagi snorted.

"Right." She laughed with light sarcasm. He frowned and advanced on her.

"You think it's funny, Tsukino?" He spat menacingly. She took a few steps backward and stifled her laughter.

"Not really." She said, covering her nervousness splendidly. He grinned sadistically and grabbed hold of her arm. She frowned. "If you do anything to me I will get you back."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" He asked, laughing. Usagi frowned. At this point she wished that it did. He moved closer to her and she backed into the wall.

"Do you really have to be so close to curse me?" She asked, still effectively hiding her anxiety. His grin returned.

"Who said anything about a curse?" He asked. Usagi didn't have the time to give him a questioning glance before his lips connected with hers. Her eyes widened to the size of golf balls but she didn't move. Draco brushed his tongue against her lips as he pressed her harder against the wall. Usagi remained unresponsive to the kiss and finally collected her wits enough to push him away.

"What are you doing?" She asked hotly, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. Draco smirked and turned to walk away, leaving a very confused Usagi in his wake.

* * *

Bad Draco! Weren't expecting THAT, were you? I sort of ignored the Veela thing but I didn't want to put off the 'revenge'. It's about time I teased you people with some romance! Veela stuff next chapter, I promise. Also, next chapter is going to be mucho long since I've been giving you short, choppy chapters.

REVIEW! Next chapter will be long, in case you didn't read that up there. -;

§SachiNyoko§ "Its better to burn out then fade away." (Kurt Cobain)


	11. Luna's News

Usagi walked back out onto the grounds in a daze. '_What just happened? It can't be, I'm delusional. That was all inside my twisted brain and it never happened._' She assured herself. But she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers, she knew that it had to be real, and it disturbed her greatly.

"What's up, Usagi?" Usagi's head snapped up when she heard Lee's voice. He was just ahead of her, smiling. She smiled back.

"I was looking for Harry but I can't find him. Can I hang out with you instead?" Usagi asked. Something was pulling in the back of her mind to tell Lee what just happened. She ignored it.

"Sure, I'm not busy. What do you want to do?" Lee asked.

"Malfoy kissed me." Usagi blurted, then she slapped her hand over her mouth. Lee raised his eyebrows.

"What?" He questioned disbelievingly, hoping he had misheard her statement. Usagi brought her hand down and fidgeted with the hem of the tank top she was wearing.

"Well, the other day he got mad because Helios bit him in Care of Magical Creatures and promised me revenge. I ran into him today in the hallway. His revenge turned out to be a kiss." Usagi half muttered with her face flushed. Lee frowned.

"So he waited until you were alone and cornered you?" Lee questioned.

"Yeah, basically." Usagi said, still flushed.

"That stupid little..." Lee had almost passed Usagi when she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, where are you going?" Usagi asked.

"I'm going to go beat the bloody hell out of him, where do you think I'm going?" He said, anger apparent in his tone. Usagi flushed again.

"Please don't do that. I appreciate the offer and really wouldn't mind seeing it but I don't want Malfoy to get it in his head that I'm a defenseless little girl who needs her friends to protect her." Lee frowned. Usagi gave the best puppy-dog expression she could muster.

"Fine." He said, surrendering. Usagi smiled with gratitude.

"Thanks. Do you happen to know where the kitchens are? I'm kind of hungry." She said.

"Of course I do, come with me." Lee said, regaining his cheerful temperament.

* * *

"Oh wow, what are these people called?" Usagi said as they entered the kitchen behind the portrait of fruit.

"House elves, they're naturally born servants. Hermione is trying to get them freedom but they really don't want it. They like being servants." Lee explained. "Hey, Smoogle." One of the house elves looked up at Lee's addressing. He looked to be a chief house elf, as he was giving some of the others orders. He smiled a nearly toothless smile, his brown eyes watery from chopping onions.

"Oh, hello Lee, who's your girlfriend?" Smoogle asked as he wiped his hands on his apron and walked over to them. His voice was deep and commanded attention. They both blushed at his remark.

"This isn't my girlfriend, she's my friend and her name is Usagi." Lee said nervously. "She wants something to eat, could you get her something."

"Of course, what'll you have little lady?" Smoogle turned to Usagi.

"Er...whatever's most convenient." Usagi said. Smoogle stopped a house elf that was carrying a tray of biscuits over its head and headed for the oven.

"I want your section to whip up a plate for the lady here." He said. The elf nodded and handed the tray to a passing elf before scurrying away.

"Section?" Usagi asked curiously. Smoogle nodded.

"The kitchen is divided into separate sections for thins like making meats or bread, then in larger sections for breakfast, lunch, and dinner preparation. It's for order purposes, so that the kitchen isn't in constant chaos." He explained. Usagi nodded her understanding. Smoogle motioned for them to sit at a table in the corner and they did so while he went back to work. Within 5 minutes the elf Smoogle had stopped before walked over and set a plate in front of Usagi before bowing away. Usagi stared at the plate in awe.

"I wish restaurants were this fast." She mused as she dug in. "And this good." She added as she wolfed down the meal.

"House elves are exceptional. I guess if they really wanted to they could open restaurants around the country and make more money than they could count." Lee smiled. Usagi nodded her agreement as she finished the plate. "You always eat that fast?"

"Yeah, most of the time." Usagi confirmed. Lee shook his head. They were both distracted by another house elf walking up to them. This one was female, and looked rather nervous. Her hands were shaking as she placed a plate on the table, then immediately grasped onto her apron.

"Um...s-sorry to bother you and all, b-but I was wondering if you would try this d-dessert for me." She muttered quietly as she twisted the cloth of her apron around her hand. Usagi looked at the plate she had set down. It was some sort of pie, with red and pink swirls and a spoonful of whipped cream on top. Usagi opened her mouth to respond when Smoogle's harsh voice cut in.

"Tiombe! You know you aren't supposed to bother people! Especially about your desserts! You know that you're only supposed to make what we're told to make! If you keep this up you're going to be freed!" Smoogle had marched over to their table in the middle of his speech and was screaming. The commotion of the kitchen had been reduced to a dead silence, broken only by Tiombe's sobs. She was on her knees and grasping the end of Smoogle's apron with her bony fingers.

"I'm sorry, sir, so sorry, please don't free me! I don't have anywhere to go, sir, please!" Tiombe pleaded.

"Wow! This is really good!" Usagi squealed suddenly, and then blushed deeply as all attention shifted to her. She had taken a bite of the dessert while Tiombe had been groveling. Smoogle looked at her with a mixture of uncertainty and distaste.

"Sorry." She mumbled. Tiombe managed to smile at her with tears still streaking down her face. The other house elves shooed Usagi and Lee out of the kitchen and closed the portrait behind them.

"So...um...what did it taste like?" Lee asked after a few minutes.

"Apples and strawberries." Usagi mumbled. "I feel bad, what if she is freed?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore won't throw her out." Lee assured, smiling. Usagi smiled back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"LEE!" Lee jumped and turned around.

"_There_ you are!" Fred exclaimed.

"We've been looking _everywhere_ for you." George said dramatically.

"You have to come with us, we need to talk to you." Fred went on. Lee looked over at Usagi but she waved him off.

"I still need to talk to Harry, thanks for showing me to the kitchen." She said and she left the three. She decided the common room would be the best place to go. If they weren't there, she could finish up her makeup work and wait for them.

* * *

When she arrived, they weren't there, so she spread her books out on the table and started on one of her potions essays. Five lines into the essay Luna jumped up on the table, causing her to jump and drop her quill. The black cat settled on top of her Charms book and looked down at the essay she was writing.

"That's all wrong." Luna mused.

"It's just the introduction!" Usagi exclaimed defiantly.

"It's still wrong." Luna said matter-of-factly. Usagi groaned.

"So I don't know anything about potions, big deal. Where have you been, Luna? I haven't seen you. Helios is here." She said softly.

"I know, I brought him to watch over you after your episode a few weeks ago. I was doing some research on Veela and I needed to get in touch with your mother. She told me of a girl that we could talk to. Come with me." Usagi blinked and followed the black cat out of the common room, to the entrance hall and back out onto the grounds. Luna didn't slow until they had gotten to the other side of the lake. There was only one person waiting for them, and it was none other that Fleur Delacour. She smiled.

"Bonjour." She greeted. Luna motioned for them to sit down, and both of them did. Luna sat across from them.

"Usagi, this is Fleur Delacour, she is part Veela." Luna said. Usagi nodded.

"We've met before." She said.

"But I did not learn your name in our encounter." Fleur commented.

"Fleur, this is Usagi Tsukino. She is the Lunarian princess reincarnated." Luna explained. Fleur looked at Usagi curiously and Usagi looked at Luna like she had gone mad.

* * *

"Hey Harry, look over there." Ron said, pointing. They were on their way back to the castle when Ron interrupted them.

"It's Usagi and that foreign girl." Hermione said. Harry squinted to see them. Sure enough, it was the two blonde girls.

"Yeah." Harry confirmed.

"Sitting next to each other they really look like Veela." Ron mused.

"Yeah." Harry agreed. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You guys, dinner, Great Hall." She said, waving a hand in front of their faces.

"Right." Ron said, and they continued towards the castle. Harry glanced back at Usagi once before following his friends.

* * *

"Really?" Fleur questioned.

"Usagi, Veela are Lunarian descendents. When the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, your mother not only sent you and your protectors to earth, but she sent most of the kingdom as well. By a twist of Fate you were the only ones born into the muggle side, the rest were reborn as Veela in the wizarding world. Some say that the first Veela grew from flowers. That's nonsense; they were actually born from two werewolf parents.

"However, since the Queen put most of her powers into reincarnating her child, the other Lunarians were reborn as what the wizards consider creatures. It wasn't until humans and Veela started having children that they actually became more human, like Fleur. The original Veela have no recollection of the Moon Kingdom or even that they came from it, but Veela have been associated with the moon regardless."

"So then am I Veela or Lunarian?" Usagi asked. Fleur nodded.

"Am I Lunarian then?" She asked.

"You're both. They are one in the same, for the most part." Luna said. Fleur looked over across the lake to the abandoned castle grounds and let out a squeal.

"Oh no! Dinner must have started! Madam Maxine will be furious with me! We have to go, Usagi!" With that, the blonde jumped to her feet and ran towards the castle. Usagi wasn't far behind, cursing under her breath. The two ran into the hall at almost the same time. The meal stopped momentarily, and the whole hall was staring at them. Usagi cleared her throat and took a seat next to Harry. Fleur went and sat with her school. The commotion of the hall resumed.

"Hello Usagi." Harry greeted, smiling.

"Hey Harry, I was looking for you earlier, where were you?" Usagi asked as she filled her plate.

"Down at Hagrid's. I see you made friends with Fleur." Harry commented as he ate.

"Yeah, she's not so bad." Usagi declared. They didn't say anything else, but instead concentrated on their meal. When it came time for dessert, it was Ron who spoke first.

"Hey, what's this?" He asked as he put a piece of pie on his plate. It had red and pink swirls. Usagi smiled.

"Try it, it's really good." Usagi said as she put two pieces on her plate.

"You haven't had any yet." Hermione pointed out. Lee looked over at Usagi and grinned. She grinned back.

"I just know," Was all she said before digging into her dessert.

* * *

Whew! Okay, so it wasn't as long as I had planned it to be, but it was out faster. Reviews:

REVIEW!

§SachiNyoko§ "It is not a sign of good mental health to be well adjusted to a sick society." (J. Krishnamurti) 


	12. The Goblet, the arguments, and the First...

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour. " Usagi watched her new friend enter the next chamber with rapidly declining interest. She rested her chin on her arms and watched the Goblet's flame grow red and spit out another slip of parchment to Dumbledore.

'_The flame should glow some other color besides red...maybe pink..._' She thought to herself as Cedric Diggory was proclaimed the Hogwarts champion.

"Don't you think he's cute, Usagi?" Hermione whispered to her as the hall cheered. Usagi took a closer look at the boy as he passed into the next chamber.

"Him? No, not really..." Usagi blinked. Hermione looked dissatisfied with her answer while Ron let out a small cheer.

"See? I told you he wasn't all that great." Ron said victoriously.

"Oh, Ron, get over it. Usagi doesn't like him but every other girl in the school does." Hermione snapped. Usagi sweatdropped and turned her attention back to Dumbledore. He was half way through a speech when the Goblet of Fire came back to life, spurting out yet another slip of parchment. He stared at it for a moment before clearing his throat and announcing:

"Harry Potter." Usagi sat up straight in her chair, eyes moving between Dumbledore and Harry. The people in the hall start muttering to each other and people were standing to get a good look at Harry. Harry sat frozen in his chair, eyes straight ahead and full of shock.

'_He didn't do this._'

* * *

Usagi entered the common room last and settled herself on the stairway to the boys' dormitory, since girls kept going up and down the one leading to the girls' dormitory. She settled her elbows on her knees, crossed her arms, and rested her chin on them. The rest of the common room was chattering about the whole Goblet of Fire incident. Usagi tuned them out and concentrated on counting the small lint balls collected on her school robes. Thoughts kept flashing in her head, like blinking neon signs outside of run down motels, disturbing her counting.

'_Who could've entered Harry's name into the goblet? 3, 4, Why? 17, 18, Was this what I was supposed to be protecting Harry from? 25, 26, 27, How can I protect him while he's participating? I can't just jump in there while he's competing._'

"Usagi?" Usagi jumped, the voice startling her. She looked up at Harry. He had a Gryffindor banner draped around him like a cape and a lopsided smile on his face. She blinked and realized that she must have been sitting there for at least an hour, and had counted over a hundred lint balls on her robes. '_Maybe I should get a lint roller._'

"Hey, Harry. Having fun?" She inquired, glancing over at the partying Gryffindors.

"Loads of it." Harry replied with sarcasm.

"Who do you think did it?" Usagi said after a moment of comfortable silence. Harry looked thrown off balance.

"Did what?" He questioned.

"You know, put your name in the goblet. Who do you think did it?" Usagi asked again, elaborating on her point. Harry didn't respond. He looked like he wanted to hug her to death just for saying that, but he didn't move. After a moment, he answered.

"I don't know, Moody thinks it's someone who wants me dead but he's paranoid." Harry said half-heartedly.

"Maybe, but he might be right this time. I mean, can we really think someone entered you just for laughs? Isn't the tournament supposed to be dangerous? Whoever entered your name probably didn't have good intentions." Usagi reasoned. Once again Harry looked like someone had just spun him in one of those wheeled office chairs for 10 minutes straight. '_It's almost like she's reading my mind._' He thought to himself, but quickly scolded himself for thinking such a stupid thought.

"Anyway, you should probably be really careful while you compete. I'm not saying that you can't take care of yourself, but whoever did do this has to be powerful, and smart enough to trick the goblet. If they can pull that off, they might be able to put you in danger even while you compete." Usagi smiled reassuringly at him and stood from her spot on the stairs. She walked past him, but when she reached the bottom step, she turned back around to face him. "Whatever the case, I'm sure you'll be alright."

"Thank you." Harry called out to her as she walked away. She smiled and kept walking.

* * *

It wasn't until Usagi had pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes that her day-long mission came back to her: She had yet to talk to Harry about what she'd been meaning to, even though she'd sat across from him all through dinner and the ceremony thing and talked to him in the common room. She mentally kicked herself.

'_Usagi, you idiot. I guess I was sort of distracted by Luna and Fleur. Then Harry becoming the fourth champion for the tournament was disturbing as well. I guess it can wait until tomorrow._' With that thought in mind she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, however, Harry wasn't at breakfast. Usagi nibbled at her toast and cast curious glances at Ron, who was sitting by himself. Hermione wasn't there either.

"Hello, Ron." Usagi greeted, moving to the seat across from him. He looked up at her.

"Oh, hello Usagi." He smiled, but it looked terribly forced.

"Is something wrong?" Usagi asked.

"No. Harry isn't here." Ron said. Usagi blinked.

"I didn't ask if he was." She said slowly.

"Well that's what you were going to ask me, wasn't it? Where Harry is?" Ron asked accusingly. Usagi gave him a confused look, and it dawned on her.

"Did you and Harry have an argument?" She asked.

"No." Ron said quickly.

"Was it about the goblet incident?" Usagi pressed on, keeping her voice steady.

"None of your business." Ron snapped, standing from his seat and stomping off.

"It wasn't his fault!" Usagi called after him. Ron ignored her. She sighed and thumped her head on the table. '_This is just great._'

"Ah, Ron's just a prat, he'll get over it." Usagi turned her head to look at Lee, her forehead still pressed against the table.

"Yeah, I know, but it's not the best thing that could happen right now. This whole situation is just stupid." Usagi sighed again and picked her head up off the table.

"You're worried about Harry?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, you're not?" Usagi raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well I would be, but then I remember what's happened in his past three years here." Lee said matter-of-factly.

"Like?"

"Well, he's taken on Voldemort twice, a huge snake, Dementors, werewolves, insane criminals, and worst of all, Snape." Lee grinned. "If anybody can live through this tournament, it's Harry."

"Yeah, I guess so." Usagi smiled.

* * *

Later that day, Usagi had once again spread out her class work in the common room. She figured it would be better to tackle her potions essay first. After much agonizing through notes and textbooks, she finally decided to do what most high school teenagers would do in this situation: bs her way through it. '_Probably not the best idea with Snape but I'll never get it written any other way._'

Thirty minutes later she had written the most full of it essay that Snape would ever read in his career as a Potions teacher, but she tucked it away and set to work of her History of Magic essay. After a while, she started developing a headache, so she put her work away and moved over to the window. She looked out onto the grounds, where most of the students were relaxing and chatting with friends. She sighed and silently wished that Harry and Ron wouldn't argue over such stupid things.

"Hey." Usagi jumped and looked over her shoulder.

"You have a thing for sneaking up on me, don't you?" She asked playfully. Harry smiled.

"I guess so."

"Things aren't going well between you and Ron, are they?" Usagi asked, even though she knew the answer.

"No, they aren't." Harry sighed and plopped down on the couch.

"He'll come around, just give him time to think about it." Usagi smiled reassuringly at him. "Did they tell you anything about the First Task?"

"No, they said something about facing obstacles without knowing what the are, quick-thinking, something like that. So I have no clue what it's gonna be." Harry said. Usagi pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window and watched the Durmstrang ship rock gently on the lake's surface.

"Any idea what you're going to do to prepare?" She asked after a few moments.

"Not really. I figured I could master some basic spells and pray." Harry smiled half-heartedly and Usagi wished she could do something to cheer him up.

"We have nothing when we do not have hope, but when we have hope we have everything." She said suddenly.

"What?" Harry questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"It's advice my mother gave me. She told me that no matter what happens there's always hope." Usagi pulled her locket out of her robes and opened it. "It's hard to follow that advice sometimes. Sometimes I don't want to risk walking forward because I'm afraid. But in the end, all we can ever do is hope." She snapped the locket shut and ran her fingers over the warm metallic surface. "Sorry, I'm just rambling."

"No, it's okay. I know you're trying to make me feel better. I appreciate it." He smiled.

"Things are probably going to get worse from this point forward. You listened to me and helped survive through one of the darkest times in my life. I couldn't possibly thank you enough for that, but I can promise to return the favor if you ever need it." Usagi laughed. "I must sound insanely corny right now." Harry laughed as well.

"Maybe, but thank you." They both smiled.

"I'm hungry, want to go down to dinner?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm starved." Usagi replied.

* * *

Ron watched as Harry and Usagi walked into the Great Hall chattering.

"Didn't take Harry long to find a new best friend." He muttered to himself. Fred and George heard his grumbling and turned to him.

"Can't really blame him though, you being such a jerk to him." Fred said nonchalantly. Ron's ears turned pink.

"Yeah, Usagi is way nicer than you." George agreed.

"She's a lot prettier than you too." Fred pointed out. The two burst out laughing while Ron glared daggers at them.

"What's so funny?" Usagi inquired as her and Harry took a seat next to them. Harry noticed that half of the Great Hall was shooting heated stares in his direction, Ron included, but he ignored them.

"We were just making fun of Ron, nothing new." George said casually.

"That's not very nice." Usagi said, frowning.

"Aw, come on, he deserves it." Fred whined.

"Yeah, it's not our fault he's such a prat." George defended.

"Shut up!" Ron snapped. Usagi shook her head at the two and concentrated on her meal. When she climbed into bed that night, she had the ominous feeling that tomorrow was going to be a very long day.

* * *

Usagi's prediction was confirmed the next day in Herbology. The Hufflepuffs were upset that Harry had taken the spotlight away from Cedric, so they decided to blatantly demonstrate their frustration. Usagi and Harry were paired with Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley to work on their Bouncing Bulbs assignment. The two Hufflepuffs wouldn't talk to either of them. They both laughed at Harry when he got smacked in the face with the plant, and Usagi countered by kicking both of them roughly in the shin.

Then, of course, it was time for Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. This was never a pleasant experience, regardless of the circumstances, but today Malfoy's smug appearance was more annoying than ever.

"Ah, looks boys, it's the champion." Malfoy announced to Crabbe and Goyle. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer...half of the Triwizard champions have died...how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."

"Why don't you lay off, Malfoy?" Usagi snapped, glaring. Malfoy turned his attention to her.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Tsukino? Beat me up?" He mocked. The Slytherins laughed.

"Why don't I tell you're little gang about our episode yesterday? I'm sure they'd all be interested to know the details. Would they look on you with the same undaunted admiration then?" Usagi grinned at the slightly panicked look on Malfoy's face as the rest of the Slytherins exchanged curious glances.

"You sure you have the guts to do that?" Malfoy asked, regaining his composure.

"It depends on whether you would do it again, it wouldn't be worth that." Malfoy glared at Usagi, but she brushed him off as Hagrid came out to teach the lesson. Harry was looking at her with curiosity but she ignored him. They launched into an interesting lesson of trying to walk the Skrewts like one might walk a dog.

* * *

The Gryffindors were on the edge of their seats, counting down the seconds until they were dismissed from Double Potions. As they filed out, Snape called Usagi back. She sighed and sat her bag back down.

"Sir?" She asked politely. He eyed her like a famished lion would eye an injured gazelle. Finally he held up her potions essay.

"Would you please tell me what this is?" Snape said slowly, observing her every movement. Usagi studied the paper a moment.

"It's my potions essay." She said simply. Snape's lip curled.

"Would you explain to me, Miss Tsukino, what you were thinking when you wrote this piece of garbage?" He inquired maliciously.

"You really want to know?" Usagi asked calmly.

"Don't get sarcastic with me. I don't care what title you hold, Miss Tsukino. Princess or not, I won't allow you to turn in trash like this for my class. Rewrite the essay, twice the length. If your work isn't quality this time, I will deduct 100 points from Gryffindor and give you detention for the rest of the year. You may go."

"Yes sir." Usagi bowed and left the room. Once out the door, she kicked the wall violently, and then collapsed to the floor holding on to her foot. "Stupid grease ball." She cursed under her breath the whole way back to her dormitory. Luna was perched delicately on the windowsill. Usagi was hit with an idea.

"Hey Luna, you remember the other day when you were criticizing my potions essay?" Usagi inquired nonchalantly. Luna turned with a suspicious look on her kitty face.

"Yes, what about it?" She asked. Usagi fell to her knees and assumed a begging position.

"I completely screwed it up and Snape got really mean and told me that I have to rewrite it only a million times longer and there's no possible way I can do that but if I don't then I'll lose a bunch of points for Gryffindor and be stuck in detention everyday with that grease ball for the rest of the year so I really need you to write the essay for me please please please!" Usagi said in one breath.

"Absolutely not." Luna said sternly.

"But Luna!" Usagi whined. "Now that Harry needs my help I can't spend all my time working on an essay. How can I fulfill my mission if I'm stuck with an impossible assignment?"

"Fine." Luna sighed. "But don't think for a minute that I'm going to do all of your homework."

"Thank you so much!" Usagi squealed.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Usagi turned in her make-up essay and got an extremely reluctant perfect score from Snape. Harry was getting made fun of for Rita Skeeter's big Triwizard article that basically made him out to be 'an emotional prat' as he put it. Usagi tried her best to convince him that it was stupid and there was no reason to get upset over it, but Harry was still agitated and tended to snap at anyone who talked to him. Before they knew it, it was time for a Hogsmeade visit. Harry refused to go meet with Ron and Hermione at the Three Broom Sticks, so Usagi asked him if he would show her around instead since she had never been.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled. Usagi still felt bad, she wished that she could help patch up things between Ron and Harry. She loved being with Harry, but she knew that he should be with Ron and Hermione, not her. Still, she got up that morning and got ready to go, putting on a pair of thick socks, black boots, blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a black cloak to keep warm. She met up with Harry in the common room and they set off for Hogsmeade together.

"You really should try to talk to Ron, you know." Usagi suggested as they surveyed the sweets in Honeydukes. Harry frowned. "Are those cherry lollipops?"

"Why should I? If he doesn't want to hear what I have to say then I won't force him to listen to me." He said flatly, then added, "No, they're blood lollipops, for vampires."

"Oh." Usagi said, withdrawing her hand from the container. "So you would rather just lose your best friend than try to talk some sense into him? Come on, Harry, you should know better than that. What are these?"

"I can't do anything to change his mind, least of all talk to him. Ron will come to his senses." Harry nodded at affirmation of his statement, but he didn't look that confident in it. "They're sugar quills, you can suck on them in class and the teacher will just think you're lost in thought."

"I want one of those." Usagi picked up a few of the quills and continued along the line of sweets. Some of the people around them were pointing at Harry and whispering, but they ceased when Usagi glared daggers at them over her shoulder. "And what will you do if he doesn't come to his senses Harry? I can be your best friend as long as you wish but I can't be Ron, and you know that."

"I'm not asking you to be Ron. All I can do is hope that he'll come around. Aren't you the one who told me there's always hope?" Harry picked up some chocolate frogs. Usagi sighed.

"Yes, I did say that. But hope can't do everything alone." Usagi paid for her sweets and waited for Harry to do the same. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, Harry."

"That's funny, because you're doing a fine job of it." Harry slammed his money on the counter and stomped off without another word. Usagi sighed and left Honeydukes by herself. '_Brilliant job, Usagi, just wonderful._'

"Did Harry ditch you?" Usagi jumped and looked up at Lee.

"Well, it was my fault, I should've minded my own business." Usagi smiled lightly.

"Ah, he's just edgy 'cause of that Rita woman and her articles. It's not your fault." Lee offered her a smile. "I'm headed back to the castle, want to come with me?"

"Sure." Usagi returned his smile and they headed back to the castle together.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Usagi kept her distance from Harry. But the first task was almost upon them and she wanted to help him. She saw him with Hermione in the library often, and this gave her confidence. If Hermione was helping with the first task, then Harry must be in good shape. Right? Still, something was gnawing at her to help him regardless.

Usagi spent most of her time now hanging out with Lee and the twins. Occasionally she would visit Helios in the Forbidden Forest, but she didn't reveal to him the fact that her and Harry weren't on speaking terms. She had talked with Fleur several times as well, and they were getting along splendidly. However, some of the Gryffindor students thought that she might be trying to sabotage Harry's chance of victory in the tournament by telling the other schools what his strategy was. This had caused a silent war between her and most of the other students, which involved a lot of dodging feet on her part, but she was dealing with it.

However, the day of the first task arrived quicker than she had expected, and she was mentally beating herself up for not trying to help Harry sooner. She chased him down in the hall on the way to where first task was scheduled to take place.

"Hello, Harry." She said breathlessly, after just running to catch him. He was startled by her voice; he didn't see her come up to him.

"Hey." He said, and she could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"You know what you're doing, right?" She asked as they filed onto the grounds.

"Vaguely." He answered.

"You can do this, I know you can. Good luck, Harry." Usagi smiled, and then ran off to get a good seat. Harry stared after her in a daze. He felt a large chunk of his fear lift off of him and he felt like he could take on two dragons at the moment, though he would rather not. Usagi joined up with Lee in the stands.

"Hello, Usagi." Lee greeted as she sat down.

"Hey." She replied, looking around the stadium. "Where's the first task?"

"Over there." Lee pointed. Usagi looked to where he was pointing and almost fainted on the spot.

"A dragon? They have to fight a dragon!" She exclaimed.

"Not exactly. They have to get the golden egg from the nest." Lee explained, pointing again to the nest.

"That's insane! Who comes up with this stuff?"

"Who knows? It's about to start." Lee hushed her. Indeed, a man that Lee identified as Bagman was calling the attention of the crowd. Usagi watched as Cedric walked out and took on his dragon, and then Fleur, and then Krum. Her knuckles were white from gripping the seat by the time that Harry walked out to complete his task. The whole stadium was deathly silent as he raised his wand. He shouted something, but Usagi couldn't make it out, and then he stood still. For a fleeting moment, Usagi thought that he had failed to cast a spell, but then a broomstick with a shimmering silver handle whizzed up beside him. A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd around her, and then ceased.

Harry mounted the broom and kicked off into the air. Usagi watched as he rose, and then went in for the egg. Bagman was shouting like a madman, but Usagi tuned him out and watched closely as Harry dodged the assault of flames and spikes from the dragon. One of the dragon's tail spikes sliced into his shoulder and she almost let out a scream, but she bit her tongue in time to stop it. Harry winced and continued flying.

"Harry's trying to make her fly away from the eggs." Lee said suddenly. Usagi nodded her agreement with his theory. Finally, the dragon spread it's large wings and took off after Harry. He dived for the eggs as fast as his broom would carry him, before the dragon knew what happened, and Usagi was almost falling out of her seat. Harry seized the egg with his uninjured arm and rocketed upward again. At once the dragon keepers rushed onto the field to subdue the dragon. Usagi threw her arms into the air, which were the only things keeping her in the chair, and she toppled onto the floor. She heard Lee's laughter above her and she started laughing as well.

"He did it." She breathed after crawling back into her seat.

"Of course he did." Lee said. Usagi smiled.

"I'm going to the first aid tent to see if he's okay." She informed him before sprinting off. When she arrived at the tent, Ron and Hermione were already there.

"Harry," She heard Ron say, so she leaned in to listen, "whoever put your name in that goblet—I—I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

"Caught on, have you?" Harry replied coldly. "Took you long enough." Usagi would've have conked him in the head if she were in there. She settled for glaring at him.

"It's okay. Forget it." Was the next thing Harry said, and Usagi's glare broke into a smile.

"No, I shouldn't've--"

"Forget it." Harry said sternly, and the two grinned at each other. Usagi smiled to herself and walked away from the tent. She felt Helios calling her to the Forbidden Forest. When she arrived he was leaning against a tree in his human form, staring at her expectantly.

"Well?" He asked, and Usagi couldn't stop herself from bursting into a fit of giggles.

"He-He's fine, Helios, just fine." She told him between her laughter. He shook his head.

"Good work, Usagi."

"Who are you telling good work? I didn't do anything." Usagi said as she regained her composure. "No, it was his best friends who got him through this one." Helios raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean by that?" He questioned.

"Nothing, I'm glad things are back to normal." She smiled and watched the students file back to the school through the spaces in the trees. Helios smiled.

"For the moment." He said.

* * *

Allo. Miss me? Well, you know what's coming up next chapter, right? The Yule Ball. starts giggling like a maniac Who will Usagi be going with? We'll see...

Well, you know what happens next. You review and then I update! - So please review!

§SachiNyoko§


	13. The Yule Ball: Look for Goldilocks

"Why are you always lurking around?" Lee asked. Usagi let out a squeal of surprise and backed into the wall. Her eyes met Lee's and she relaxed.

"So I don't get jumped." Usagi replied with a sideways glance at the Gryffindors huddled down the hall. "Why are you always finding me while I'm lurking."

"Someone has to." Lee answered. The two stayed silent for a while. The Gryffindors down the hall became impatient and moved on. "Are you staying over Christmas break?"

"Yeah." Usagi said automatically. '_It's not like I could go home anyways._' She added as an afterthought to herself, and then wondered if her parents were really worried about her.

"So are you going to the Yule Ball?" Lee went on, breaking her out of her brief reverie.

"I doubt it. Everyone is still edgy around me, no one will ask me to go with them." Usagi said, though she didn't really sound disappointed at the prospect. Suddenly, she wondered why Lee was interested in whether she was going or not. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." He said nonchalantly. "You still haven't talked to Harry, have you?"

"Um...no. He's avoiding me. I don't want to bother him and stir up trouble." Usagi replied uneasily. Of course, she did her best to avoid him as well. This isn't an easy task since their schedules are identical.

"Stir up trouble? I don't think Harry would mind if you two became friends again, he's probably gotten over what ever argument you two had in the first place." Lee said.

"I know. I'll talk to him soon." Usagi sighed. "I'm going to the library, I still have work to catch up on."

"See you later." Lee called as he watched her turn the corner towards the library. He then shook his head. "Weirdest girl I've ever known."

* * *

"Usagi!" Fleur Delacour appeared beside the blonde. Usagi blinked and looked at her sort of dazed, wondering how she just popped up out of nowhere.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Do you have a date for the Ball yet?" Fleur asked almost giddily.

"Er...no." Usagi replied slowly, not wanting to reveal to the enthusiastic girl that she probably wouldn't be going. "You?"

"Yes, a boy named Roger Davies." Fleur answered automatically. "I wanted to go with Cedric but it seems he's already taken." There was a tone of resentment in her voice. It quickly disappeared. "Hey, you should go with that one boy. Oh, what's his name? The one Hogwarts Champion with the black hair."

"Harry Potter." Usagi offered, her eyes glued to the ground.

"Yes! That one! I seen you guys talking together a few weeks back, you make a cute couple." Fleur said matter-of-factly. Usagi blushed furiously at the statement.

"We're just friends. Besides, we aren't really on speaking terms." Usagi recovered her gloomy disposition.

"Oh. Sorry." Fleur apologized. "Well, you've still got time before the ball to find someone, so cheer up."

"Yeah." Usagi smiled halfheartedly as the French girl departed.

* * *

"Hello Helios." Usagi greeted. He smiled.

"Hello Usagi, have you found a date for the Yule Ball yet?" Helios asked. Usagi frowned.

"No, not yet." She replied bitterly. Helios looked taken aback.

"Er...why not ask Harry?"

"He's already going with someone." Usagi said, not knowing whether this was true or not. "Besides, we haven't spoken to each other since before the first task." She blurted angrily.

"What? Why not?" Helios asked, surprised at the revelation.

"We had an argument." Usagi sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"That's fine, but have you tried talking to him? What was the argument about?" Helios went on. Usagi explained the disagreement.

"It was stupid, I was being too pushy." She said.

"Maybe you should talk to him." Helios suggested.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'll go now." Usagi shrugged and left for the castle.

* * *

'_Figures. He's everywhere when I'm trying to avoid him but I can never find him when I need him._' Usagi mused crossly. She flopped down on her four-poster and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. The thought of her parents found its way in her mind again. '_They're probably really worried. Actually, they probably think I'm dead. I should write them a letter..._'

So, with a sigh Usagi willed herself to dig a piece of parchment and quill from her trunk, then set to work. Once finished, she held the letter up and read it to herself.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_Hello, it's been a while. I thought I'd write and let you know that I'm okay. I'm doing fine where I am, I've even managed to make some friends. I'm sorry that I left like I did, but I needed a fresh start, you know? That's a lame excuse. I just want you guys to know that I love you, and that you're wonderful parents. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for Christmas. I hope you guys are okay without me. _

_I can't even imagine what it's like for you guys, losing Shingo and then having me run off like some heathen. I'm a bad daughter, I know. I'm going to make it up to you somehow. I promise. By the way, don't try to find out where I am please, you won't be able to find me. I'll come and see you guys soon, maybe this summer?_

_Love Always,_

_Usagi_

_P.S.: I'll have the owl stick around a few days, in case you want to write me back or something. He'll bring the letter to me, okay?_

"Well, it'll do." She decided, folding the letter up.

* * *

The unexpected event occurred on her way back from the Owlery. While walking along, minding her own business, she ran head long into none other than Harry Potter. Talk about ironic.

"Hello Harry." Usagi said quietly.

"Hey." Harry replied, possibly quieter. Passersby cast curious glances at the two silent Gryffindors as they looked at their feet, not saying anything.

"Er...sorry for being pushy." Usagi finally said.

"It's not your fault, I was just touchy because of those articles and the first task and all." Harry said quickly. After another bout of silence, they both started laughing.

"I guess the whole thing was pretty stupid, huh?" Usagi asked mirthfully.

"Yeah." Harry agreed. "Where are you headed?"

"Just came from the Owlery." Usagi explained.

"Want to come to dinner with me?" Harry asked.

"Sure."

* * *

"Hello Usagi, long time no see." Hermione commented as the blonde girl took a seat next to her.

"Hello." She replied with a smile. Ron fidgeted in his seat.

"Er...sorry." He said rather awkwardly.

"It's okay." Usagi shrugged him off and Ron relaxed.

"Oi, Harry, you stole our fourth member." Lee complained as he took a seat next to Harry. Fred and George weren't far behind.

"She was our fourth member first." Harry pointed out.

"So?" Fred said in such a manner that it implied this was the most ridiculous excuse he'd ever heard.

"Wait and see, we'll steal her back." George declared, stabbing his fork into his piece of meat to emphasize the meaning of his words. Usagi shook her head and continued eating.

"Just try it." Harry challenged, trying not to laugh at the twins' seriousness.

"You think it's funny now." Fred said knowingly.

"Just you wait. Meeting under the table!" George shouted. The two red-headed twins ducked under the Gryffindor table. Lee leaned sideways to look under there.

"No way, guys, I am not doing that again." Lee voiced indignantly.

"What're you talking about, you came out unscathed last time!" Fred cried dramatically. George nodded his agreement.

"I don't want to push my luck." Lee said flatly.

"Fine, but don't even think of taking any credit when we steal Usagi back." George said. The two began to mutter to themselves, brainstorming. Usagi laughed at the two's antics. When dinner was over and the group had split for bed, she smiled into her pillow. '_Finally, things are looking up._'

* * *

The next week of break, Usagi spent her time with either Lee Jordan and the twins or Harry and the others. Well, technically she just hung out with Lee considering that the twins were often developing some sort of new mischievous treat. The two groups were having an amusing, mock war over who she hung out with more. The other Gryffindors had given up on the blonde girl, deciding she wasn't really a threat since Harry had done just fine on his First Task and was seen around Usagi often.

Aside from their goofing off, Usagi had declared that whoever got it into their heads to buy her something for Christmas needed to get it out fast, even though she had already purchased gifts for all of them.

"I don't want anything." She had said flatly when the subject was brought up, and everyone said they would honor her request..

So, when she woke on Christmas Day, she definitely did not expect the quaint pile of presents at the foot of the bed. Her eyes widened considerably, and the event woke her instantly.

"I'm going to kill all of them." She muttered to herself, but despite this she was ecstatic. The rest of the dormitory was still fast asleep as she pounced on her presents.

The top present's card read "From Fred and George" in big shiny letters. She pulled the note out of the envelope and read the scrawled handwriting.

'_Happy Christmas! This is our latest creation, and you're the first to have it! Enjoy. (I don't recommend eating one of them, though)_' Usagi laughed and opened the box. Inside were the most delicious looking chocolate truffles that she had ever seen. She quickly closed the box so she wasn't tempted to eat one of the treats and turn into a hippo or something worse. She turned her attention to the box underneath it. It was from Hermione.

'_Thought this may come in handy, especially for tonight. Merry Christmas!_' Usagi raised an eyebrow and opened the box with curiosity. Inside was a large black book with indented silver lettering on the front that read '_The Modern Witches' Fashion: 1,001 Glamorous Hairstyles (in under ten minutes!)_' and the below text added '_Includes the instant untangle brush, everlasting curling iron, and super cement gel!_' With a chuckle Usagi opened the book and flipped through the pages, admiring the various styles. A stirring in one of the beds startled her, so she closed the book and reached for the next package, which happened to be from Lee.

'_Hello, Usagi. Do you know how hard it is to shop for a girl? Anyways, this was the best I could come up with, hope you enjoy._' An amused smiled played on Usagi's lips as she unwrapped the gift. Inside was a very large collection of sugar quills.

"Wow, did he buy out the store or what?" She muttered to herself as she placed one of the treats in her mouth and savored the melting sweetness. Hermione sat up in her bed and yawned widely.

"G'morning." She greeted sleepily when she spotted Usagi Indian-style on the floor.

"Morning. Merry Christmas." Usagi replied as she reached for the last package. "Thanks for the present, even though I told you not to get me anything." She said with false annoyance.

"You're welcome." Hermione smiled as she dove into her own presents. Usagi smiled as well and turned her attention back to the parcel in her hands. This one was from Harry.

'_Happy Christmas! I know you said not to get you anything and all but too bad. This reminded me of you I guess, which is weird, but I hope you like it._' Usagi smiled to herself and opened the gift in her hand. Her eyes widened. Rested inside the rectangular box was a silver choker. In the center was an upturned crescent moon. On the sides were three thin chains in a slightly drooping row attached to the clasp. Hermione abandoned her presents momentarily to see what the blonde girl was gawking at.

"Wow, Usagi, Harry got that for you?" She inquired as she read over the note. Usagi gave a small nod as she placed the lid back on the box and began to clear out the garbage. A mischievous smile spread across Hermione's face as she set the note back with the gift. "That's interesting."

"What is?" Usagi asked, turning to face her.

"Oh nothing." Hermione replied nonchalantly, returning to her own presents. Usagi arched an eyebrow. "By the way, who are you going to the ball with?"

"Me? Er...I don't know." Usagi said slowly.

"What! But the ball is tonight!" Hermione cried.

"I know. Who are you going with?" Usagi inquired, shifting the subject. Hermione flushed.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" She asked.

"Sure." Usagi nodded.

"Viktor Krum." Hermione squeaked. Usagi pondered for a moment before it hit her.

"Oh! That's that famous guy from Durmstrang that Ron's obsessed with! You're really going with him?" Usagi exclaimed.

"Yes..." Hermione confirmed quietly, apparently embarrassed.

"That's great!" Usagi said cheerfully. The two were interrupted by a sharp tap on the window. One glance revealed the owl that Usagi recognized as the one she had sent to her parents a week ago. Her breathe caught in her throat as she walked to the window swiftly and opened it. The owl swooped in and landed softly on the bed. Tied to its leg was a letter and a small box with an even smaller bow. Usagi gulped and untied the delivery, patting the owl affectionately before it flew back out the window.

Usagi stared at the letter in her hand. It was addressed to her clearly, in the neat cursive of her mother's handwriting. Her mind was sifting through her options. She wanted to know what it said, but at the same time she feared it. Her decision was easier than she thought, because at that moment she felt Helios beckoning her to the Forbidden Forest. She stuffed the letter and parcel away in her trunk and bid farewell to Hermione before heading in that direction.

* * *

"What's up, Helios?" Usagi asked as she spotted him waiting against a tree.

"I wanted to ask you if you had a date for the ball yet." He said, straight to the point. Usagi faltered.

"Er...nope." She said slowly. Helios deliberated this in his head for a moment.

"Would you like to go with me?" He asked suddenly.

"Nani!" Usagi asked, startled into using her native language.

"I doubt that Dumbledore will mind." Helios continued, eyes sparkling with amusement at her reaction.

"Um...okay then." Usagi said after a moment, slightly embarrassed over the whole scene.

"All right, I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall before the Ball. Now go eat breakfast and tell Dumbledore about the arrangements." Usagi nodded at these words and headed back towards the castle considerably shaken.

* * *

Once back to the castle, Usagi realized that breakfast ended without her, so she went to the common room instead. There she located Lee, Fred, and George among the horde of Gryffindors. As it turns out, they had saved her a few pieces of toast. She thanked them and ate the buttered food gratefully. Once done, she proceeded to ask Fred and George what the truffles in her bedroom did.

"Not telling." Fred said, and George nodded.

"Why not?" Usagi whined.

"If you really want to know you can eat one." George offered innocently. Usagi declined. The group hung out together until lunch, where they met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hello." Usagi greeted as they sat next to them.

"Hello." Harry returned.

"I hope you noticed that Usagi hung out with _us_ this morning." Fred said as their food appeared and they all dug in immediately.

"Yes, but she hung out with _us_ all of yesterday." Harry retorted.

"Eh, that's to far back to even count." George said, dismissing his comment with the wave of a hand.

"Too far back? It was just yesterday!" Ron cried indignantly.

"You need to learn to stop living in the past, little brother." Fred said.

"Technically, this morning is in the past too." Hermione pointed out. The group broke into laughter after that and spent the rest of the lunch talking about a whole lot of nothing. Usagi departed early, saying she had something to take care of, and walked up to the teacher's table.

"Er...Professor Dumbledore?" Usagi questioned. The aged wizard looked up from his nearly finished dessert and smiled brightly at her.

"Hello, Miss Tsukino." Dumbledore greeted.

"Um, can I ask you a question?" She went on.

"Of course." Dumbledore nodded his head. Students began to file out of the Great Hall to move on to other activities, and the teachers were dispersing as well.

"Well you see, my date for the Yule Ball doesn't exactly go to this school." Usagi began.

"It's perfectly fine if you want to go with one of the Beauxbatons or Durmstrang students." Dumbledore said.

"Well actually, he doesn't go to any school." Usagi said. Dumbledore gave her a slightly perplexed expression. "He's an old friend of mine, his name is Helios. He's actually the protector of dreams." Usagi continued, sort of awkwardly as she realized she must sound insane.

"I don't see any problem in it, but how is he going to get here?" Dumbledore inquired pleasantly.

"Er...well, you see...he's sort of been staying in the forest to watch over me, in his Pegasus form, which is a lot like a unicorn. The only difference is that a Pegasus has wings." Usagi explained, hoping that the unexpected inhabitant of his forest wouldn't upset the tranquil headmaster. It did.

"He's been staying in the forest? Why on earth didn't you tell me, child? If he's going to stay here, it should be in the castle, not in a dark forest! He's welcome to a guest room in the castle as long as he promises not to disrupt the students." Dumbledore said, smiling over his half moon spectacles.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore." Usagi said, bowing and then sprinting out of the Great Hall and onto the grounds. There she spotted the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione immersed in a rather fun looking snowball fight. She quickly decided she would tell Helios tonight and headed towards the battle.

* * *

Venture through the castle at 5:30 Christmas Day and you might find Hermione and Usagi in the dormitory. The two Gryffindor girls perched on Usagi's four-poster bed to look at the book of hairstyles that Hermione gave Usagi for Christmas. They were already clad in their dress robes and now tackling the task of doing their hair. However, as they sporadically offered comments on the various styles, neither had found one that caught their eye. That is, until Usagi prodded her finger at one of the images.

"This one would look great on you." She declared. Hermione surveyed the style with interest, an elegantly twisted knot on the back of the girl's head.

"My hair is way too bushy to do that." She said finally, in a sort of defeated tone.

"Nonsense, sit!" Usagi instructed Hermione to sit on the floor below her, then grabbed the "instant untangle brush" and "super cement gel" from the box and set to work. Following the step-by-step guide, she fashioned Hermione's hair almost exactly as it was in the book. Needless to say, it was stunning.

"Wow, it looks great!" Hermione exclaimed, taking in the effect of her hair not being bushy and impossible to manage.

"Told you so." Usagi said smugly. Hermione rolled her eyes and the two began thumbing the pages of the book in search of Usagi's perfect look. With a triumphant "Aha!", Hermione pointed out the style she'd discovered.

"This would look great on you!" She said matter-of-factly. Usagi's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"You want me to look like Goldilocks?" She cried. The style did indeed look like Goldilocks all grown up. The model's hair was in a ponytail, with thick, golden ringlets streaming down her back and two shorter ringlets to frame her face. A note in the captions suggested using a hair lengthening spell if yours was too short for the style.

"It suits you. Just trust me on this one." Hermione said sternly. So, Usagi obeyed, taking the seat on the floor below her. Hermione grabbed the curling iron, the hair brush, and the gel, then set to work with gritted teeth. First, she brushed through the mass of hair, then put it up into a sleek ponytail. Then came the hard part. She set the separate locks apart and curled them one by one. This took about twenty minutes in itself. Then, using the spell mentioned in the caption, she lengthened Usagi's rather short bangs and curled them to frame her face. Usagi was in awe.

"Wow, it's amazing!" She exclaimed, delicately touching the golden ringlets.

"See, I told you." Hermione said as she looked at the finished product with approval. The two put away the hair items and brought out the make up.

"I think you would do better with just a gloss instead of lipstick." Hermione suggested as they compared the colors.

"And you should probably wear a shade of pink." Usagi commented. It went on like this for sometime until the two girls realized it was 7:45, and that they were ready. Hermione stood in front of the full length mirror first, surveying her appearance. Her lips were painted a soft pink, her hair was pulled into its neat knot, and her dress robes were a periwinkle blue color. They had made her skin look a few shades lighter to go better with light colors of her outfit and added mascara to bring out her eyes. Satisfied, she stepped aside to let Usagi have a turn.

Usagi, still in awe over her hair, had to pull her eyes away from it to make sure the rest of her outfit was okay. Her dress robes consisted of two layers. A milky white layer underneath a translucent layer that was spotted with glittering snowflakes. Her skin was left untainted since her pale complexion went well with the wintry feel of the outfit, but they had put on dark mascara to exaggerate the blueness of her eyes. She had also followed Hermione's advice and went with a gloss instead of a lipstick, and Hermione had charmed it to not rub off easily like a muggle gloss normally would. Also, she had reluctantly taken off her locket and stashed it away in her trunk, replacing it with the choker that she had received from Harry.

All in all, the girls decided they looked pretty good for the night ahead. They shared a smile as they exited the dormitory and descended the staircase. A lot of the people had already cleared out of the common room, including people that they knew, so they make their way to the Entrance Hall. Once they were caught in the rainbow colored mob, they split up to find their respective partners. Usagi found Helios standing near a wall, ignoring the stares from the girls present. (Hey, Helios is a hottie. :P)

"Hello there." She greeted as she walked up to the dream keeper. He stared at for a moment in confusion before it dawned on him.

"Wow, Usagi, you could be a completely different person. You look great." Helios complimented with a smile. Usagi reddened at his words.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, where did you get those?" She asked, referring to the silvery-blue dress robes that he was wearing.

"Luna got them for me." He explained, looking down at the garment that he wasn't used to wearing. The two were abruptly joined by Fleur Delacour and a boy that must have been Roger Davies.

"Hello, Usagi." Fleur said as she surveyed her appearance.

"Hey Fleur." Usagi replied, glancing at Fleur's satin, grayish robes.

"You look great." She commented as she turned her attention to Helios.

"Thanks, you too." Usagi said.

"Who is this? I haven't seen him around before." Fleur asked, turning back to Usagi.

"This is my friend, Helios. Helios, this is Fleur Delacour, one of my friends." Usagi introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you." Helios smiled and bowed slightly.

"The pleasure is all mine." Fleur said, looking rather taken with the silvery-haired boy. Roger Davies soon noticed and looked severely jealous. A few seconds later the Champions were called away, and Fleur departed.

"Well, I think she likes you." Usagi commented as the two headed into the Great Hall.

"I guess." Helios said, looking slightly flustered. Usagi giggled at him.

"Oh, by the way, Dumbledore wants you to stay in the castle." She announced.

"What?" Helios asked, taken aback.

"Well, he was sort of upset when he found out that you'd been hanging out in the forest. He wants you to stay in a guest room." Usagi explained.

"Okay." Helios said, still slightly confused. Meanwhile, Harry was in shock from just realizing that the girl next to Krum was actually one of his best friends, Hermione. Right before they entered the Great Hall, Hermione leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear.

"Look for Goldilocks." Before Harry could question this odd statement, they were beckoned into the Hall. Hermione blissfully ignored the stares, and glares, she was getting from the other students. Usagi gave her a thumbs up as they passed by, and Hermione spent a split second staring at the boy next to her, wondering who he was.

The champions took their seat and the feast begun. Usagi and Helios stayed quiet for the most part, enjoying their meal. As the feast was over, the Weird Sisters marched out onto the stage, met with a loud applause. The champions and partners rose from their seats and took their places for the opening dance.

As the dance begun, Harry began to look around the room for the Goldilocks that Hermione was talking about. However, he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. Until he saw a very pretty girl with her hair done up in many golden ringlets, almost exactly like Goldilocks' had been in the classic tale. Now he wondered why Hermione wanted him to locate her. That is, until he identified the piece of jewelry around her neck.

'_No way, that's Usagi?_' Harry thought to himself. It was indeed her, now that he looked closer he could recognize her. Her head was tilted to the side slightly and she was watching Hermione dance with Krum. Her eyes ventured to him and he quickly looked back at Parvati, giving his concentration back to dancing.

"Is that Harry?" Helios asked in a whisper.

"Yes." Usagi confirmed. Within a minute or two, the other students began joining the champions on the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance?" Helios inquired, offering his hand to her.

"Of course." Usagi replied, taking his hand and letting him lead her onto the dance floor. The two danced around slowly, Helios leading, Usagi being extremely careful so that her clumsy tendencies would show themselves. She spotted Lee Jordan up ahead with a girl she didn't know. Lee glanced at her, but didn't recognize her, and continued dancing. Usagi smiled to herself.

* * *

So, the night went on in a pattern of dancing and resting for Usagi and Helios. Usagi noticed that if she strayed too far from Helios, he would be swarmed by girls whose dates had given up on dancing. Of course, she had several offers herself so both of them decided to stick close to each other to avoid being mobbed. Across the dance floor, Usagi seen Ron and Harry come back into the Great Hall and sit down, deeply immersed in conversation. She wondered where they had gone, and what had happened to their dates.

"Hello, Harry." Usagi greeted. She took a seat next to him and Helios took the seat on the other side of her. Ron was looking at her with wide eyes, but she was used to this by now so she brushed it off.

"Hello." Harry replied, looking up from the conversation he and Ron had been having.

"Who's he?" Ron asked, pointing to the boy beside her.

"Oh, sorry, this is my friend Helios." Usagi said, turning to him. "Helios, this is Harry and Ron."

"Hello." Helios said cheerfully. The two nodded.

"What were you guys talking about?" Usagi questioned.

"Giants." Ron replied with an offhanded shrug. The group was interrupted by a boy in deep blue robes, who asked Usagi to dance.

"Er...no thank you." Usagi said politely with a smile.

"Okay then." The boy said, and, looking rather embarrassed, walked off. Usagi turned back to them, looking pretty embarrassed herself. The rest of the ball, Harry, Ron, and Usagi chatted about various things while Helios listened attentively to the conversation, giving a comment now and then. During the this time, several guests dropped in for a few moments to say hello, including Fleur, at which time Ron shrunk in his seat and pretended to be absorbed in the music, Hermione, though she had made it a point to ignore Ron, and the twins Fred and George, who didn't seemed surprised at all by Usagi's appearance.

Before they knew it, it was midnight and the ball was drawing to a close. Usagi departed with Helios, who was to be escorted to his guest room by Professor McGonagall. Suddenly, she found herself extremely tired. Without a second glance at anyone she trudged up to the common room and continued up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. She sleepily changed into her pajamas and collapsed into bed, not worrying about her hair or make up.

* * *

Hehehe, I just planned the first big event for the next chapter in my head. I'm so evil. Heh...anyways, this chapter took forever to get out, didn't it? I hope the length makes up for that. It took longer to get to the ball than I'd expected. As for the hairstyle, it was inspired by an image. I'll post the link in my profile since it won't let me put it in the chapter. It looks like the picture in the link, only with smaller ringlets.

Whew! 20 reviews! Keep it up and I'll reach 200 soon! X.X! I'd have a heart attack. I must leave you now, my kitty is attacking my leg for food. Ja ne!

§SachiNyoko§ "Come to the dark side. We have cookies."


	14. Malfoy's Humiliation

Usagi woke the next morning after everyone else in her dorm, as usual, and immediately grabbed a set of clean clothes to change into after her bath. She wasted no time in running the hot water and undressing. As she prepared to bathe, downstairs it was just another vacation day in the Gryffindor common room. Ron currently dueled with Harry in an engaging game of wizard's chess. Hermione curled up on one of the couches with a thick book that neither Ron nor Harry cared to ask her about. Fred and George huddled with Lee in one corner of the room discussing god only knows what, and a few other Gryffindors littered the commons area.

Everyone jumped when a sharp scream cut through the lazy quiet. After a moment's confusion, they figured the source was the girls' dormitories.

"It's probably just a bug or something. I'll go." Hermione volunteered, book marking her page and setting down her book. She slowly made her way up the staircase, checking doors as she went. To her surprise, the noise came from her own dormitory. In front of her mirror sat Usagi, who currently seemed to be in a fight with her hair brush. "Usagi?"

"Hermione!" The blonde exclaimed. As she turned her head, a splatter of water flew across the floor, signaling that she'd been in the bath recently. She looked extremely upset. "It won't come out!"

"What are you talking about, Usagi?" Hermione questioned with one eyebrow raised. Wrapped in nothing but a bath robe, Usagi held up a hair tie in one hand and a thick, drenched, golden ringlet in the other.

"My hair! I took out the hair tie this morning and tried to wash it but the gel won't wash out!" She elaborated frantically. Hermione frowned.

"Mine did. I washed it out last night after the ball." She said slowly. An idea hit her. "Where's the stuff we used?"

"Um...over here." Usagi opened her trunk and pulled out the kit that was conveniently sitting on top of everything else. Hermione grabbed the instruction manual and quickly flipped to the 'Warning' section. Her eyes skimmed over it for a few minutes before she found something significant.

"Warning," she began aloud, "do not keep any product in hair for more than eight hours. If such a situation occurs, contact company for instruction."

"That's it?" Usagi questioned when Hermione didn't continue.

"Yes. I guess you should send them a letter." Hermione shrugged.

"So my hair is stuck like this until they tell me how to get it out?" Usagi whined. Hermione nodded. Usagi sighed and pulled out parchment to start the letter. "Alright then. Thanks Hermione."

"No problem." Hermione replied, turning to leave.

-----

Usagi headed downstairs, fully dressed, with the finished letter in her hand. Before she could leave for the Owlery, however, Fred and George intercepted her.

"Hullo Usagi!" They greeted in unison. Usagi raised an eyebrow at them.

"Hello," she replied slowly.

"Splendid, your hair is still up. Did you see Malfoy at all last night?" George asked. Usagi blinked.

"No, I'm pretty sure I didn't." She answered thoughtfully.

"Lovely! We have this great idea," Fred began.

"It is a wonderful idea," George agreed.

"We're going to pull a prank on Malfoy," Fred continued.

"Because he's a prat," George added.

"Exactly. The thing is we need your help to pull it off." Fred explained.

"We can't do it without you." George said.

"Will you help?" Fred asked. Usagi absorbed their question for a moment before answering.

"Um...sure, but I have to mail this first." She said, holding up the letter. Fred snatched it and signaled for one of the first years to come over to them.

"Hey kid, we need you to mail this letter." He instructed, waving the envelope in front of him.

"What if I don't want to?" The kid asked, eyeing the envelope.

"Well, we are the best pranksters in school, if you get my drift." Fred answered nonchalantly. The kid looked startled for a few seconds before he grabbed the letter and ran off towards the Owlery. Usagi shook her head.

"That's taken care of. Now, here's the plan. Remember that box of chocolates we gave you for Christmas...?"

-----

Usagi looked around the Owlery cautiously, checking and rechecking for anyone that might bear witness to her crime. Satisfied that there was no one around, she pulled out a letters that was tucked inside her school bag, which she was carrying with her for today since she had so much to set up. Picking out a suitable owl, she tied the letter to its leg, clearly addressed to Crabbe. She grinned to herself at the sheer genius of the Weasley twins as she finished attaching the parchment.

"Deliver this at breakfast tomorrow, okay?" she cooed to the owl, pulling out a wrapped piece of bread for it to eat. It hooted enthusiastically as she broke of a piece and fed it to him. "You don't know how much I appreciate that." She mused as she left the Owlery as stealthily as she'd came, although most students were too busy relaxing to even notice her go past anyways. '_Phase 1 of pranking Malfoy is complete._'

"Now the hard part, finding the little bastard," she muttered to herself as she entered the castle. The Entrance Hall was practically empty, save for the few people that were headed outside. Usagi pulled out the parchment that Fred had given her earlier, which was also tucked away in her school bag. Her eyes rolled over the blank page before she touched her wand to it, whispering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Lines flowed across the paper and formed a map of the school grounds. Usagi searched for a good ten minutes before she found the dot she was looking for, Draco Malfoy. He was currently in the library, and by a brilliant stroke of luck, Crabbe and Goyle weren't with him. '_Probably because they're afraid of books,_' she thought to herself as she tucked the map away and set off towards the library.

-----

'_I hope to God he doesn't recognize me. Here goes the most degrading moment in my life thus far._' Usagi crossed her fingers and set off across the library to where Malfoy currently sat. He kept looking over at the restricted section as though formulating a plan of how to get in without getting caught. He didn't even notice her approach until she had placed her hands on the table and leaned across towards him. His head snapped up as she addressed him.

"You're Draco Malfoy, right?" She asked in the most French-sounding accent she could muster. It sounded horrible, but he bought it.

"Yes, and who are you?" He inquiring, looking her up and down. Usagi resisted the urge to shudder, and instead plastered on a playful smile.

"I attend Beauxbatons. I've had my eye on you for a while now, why don't you meet me in the Armory room tomorrow after dinner for a..._discussion_." She said with what she hoped was a seductive grin.

"That sounds...lovely," Draco said as he looked her over again.

"Alright, love, see you then." Usagi winked at him and turned around, strutting off. '_Thank god he isn't the brightest crayon in the box. Glad that's over._' She mused, heading towards the kitchens. On arrival, a female house elf sprinted over and hugged her around the knees tightly.

"Miss! Miss! I've wanted to thank you for so long, I thought you'd never return to the kitchens! Dumbledore said that I should make more desserts, he loves them! I wasn't freed! Thank you!" The elf cried in its squeaky voice. Usagi smiled.

"I'm glad, Tiombe. It's going well for you then?" She asked.

"Yes, very much so, thanks to you." Tiombe said with an enthusiastic nod.

"All I did was compliment your dish, which it very well deserved. Everyone at our table loved it, I think we ran out." Usagi commented.

"Yes, I'll have to teach the others to make it so we can make more next time." Tiombe replied with a slightly flushed looked of happiness. Smoogle, the head elf, walked over to them.

"Hello Miss Usagi, I haven't seen you around here in a while. I'm sorry about all the commotion on your last visit. Would you like us to fix you something special to make up for it?" He questioned. For a brief moment, the image of warm odangos popped into her mind, but she reluctantly brushed it off.

"Actually, I wanted to ask a favor." Usagi said.

"What is it?" Smoogle inquired.

"Would there be any way for you to give, oh say, some chocolate or something to a particular person at dinner through the kitchens like, anonymously?" Usagi said, trying to phrase her words carefully so they wouldn't catch on to her evil intentions.

"Possibly, considering that most people sit at the same spot everyday at meal times." Smoogle said thoughtfully. "Of course, as a favor, I could send someone to find out where this particular person is sitting before food is served so we could pinpoint their location if you wanted."

"That would be awesome!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Alright then, who are you trying to send something to?" Smoogle asked.

"Um...two guys from Slytherin. One is Draco Malfoy, and the other is Crabbe, one of his 'bodyguards' in a sense." Usagi explained. Smoogle frowned.

"I don't know them..." He trailed.

"Dobby knows, sir!" Another house elf squeaked, apparently referring to himself in the third person. He scurried over and bowed down low before the chief house elf, his long nose smashed against the tiled floor.

"Hello," Usagi greeted, looking at the newcomer with interest. He wore an over-sized maroon sweater with a nice big 'R' embroidered in the front, which Usagi couldn't connect to his name in any way, and particularly baggy and mismatched socks, one mustard yellow and the other violet. He looked up at her with huge green eyes.

"Dobby knows Draco, and his two fat friends. Dobby used to be owned by the Malfoys before he was set free by Harry Potter, Miss." The house elf explained. Smoogle frowned at Dobby.

"I suppose if you know them, then the task will be appointed to you. What item do you want sent to them?" Smoogle asked, addressing Usagi. Usagi jumped and consulted her bag once again, producing two small, heart-shaped boxes. Each one had the proper name written on it in tidy cursive, so there would be no mix ups with the boxes. Usagi handed them over to Smoogle.

"I'm entrusting these to you, it's extremely important that the two gentlemen receive this candy tomorrow at dinner." She said very seriously. Smoogle nodded.

"Consider it done, Miss Usagi." He said with confidence.

"Thanks, you guys, see you later." Usagi smiled and waved before heading out of the kitchens. Satisfied that she'd done her job fairly well, she made her way back towards the Gryffindor common room. The Weasley twins were eagerly awaiting her return and nearly pounced on her as she walked in.

"Well? Is it on, did everything go alright?" They both said simultaneously.

"The letter is in the mail, Malfoy didn't recognize me, and the house elves were more than happy to oblige." Usagi confirmed. The twins let out a cheer.

"Wonderful. We got the camera from Creevey and plenty of parchment for fliers, so we're all ready to go." George said.

"Yes. Now remember, we'll be hiding behind the fourth suit of armor so if he goes past that point before the candy kicks in, it's all over." Fred instructed.

"The candy should kick in about 10 minutes after they eat it, so Malfoy should be in the Armory before it all goes down. By the time he gets over the shock and gets it in his mind to attack, Crabbe will show up." George went on.

"Yes, and since you will be hiding across from us, it is very very _very_ important that you stay out of view, because if he spots you first, it'll ruin the whole prank and be a very bad day for you. Got it?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, I just hope it works out as planned." Usagi replied.

"Oh it will, and it will be the most priceless prank to ever take place in Hogwarts since the era of the Marauders." Fred said dreamily. Usagi raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask who the 'Marauders' were. Lee entered the common room and, after a quick sweep of the room, joined the three conspirers.

"Hey Fred, George," he looked over at Usagi and his eyes widened. "Usagi!"

"Why yes, Lee, that is my name." Usagi replied with a humongous grin. "It's about time you noticed."

"You didn't know it was Usagi?" Fred asked in a bewildered tone.

"You really are slow on the uptake, Lee." George said with a chuckle.

"I didn't see her until now." Lee defended.

"Actually, you looked straight at me last night during the ball." Usagi chimed with another grin.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Whoa, kids, none of that, we're past that age right?" Fred asked. Several shocked stares were sent his way.

"No!" Lee and Usagi chorused; Fred sweatdropped.

-----

_The next day, beginning of dinner..._

Usagi stared at her plate, almost grudgingly, and then cast another glance at the Slytherin table. '_Stupid bloke isn't here yet. If he doesn't come then the whole thing is ruined._' Chewing her lip nervously, she cast a glace at the twins. They were doing a much better job at hiding their anxiety than her, if they even felt any anxiety. She really couldn't tell.

"Alright, Usagi, meeting under the table time," Fred exclaimed.

"Private meeting," George added to the surrounding people.

"Wai--" But sadly, it was too late for protests. The twins seized both of her arms and dragged her under with them. She nearly banged her head on the table, but managed to scrape by.

"Are you sure you didn't say before dinner by accident?" George asked.

"Positive." Usagi said with a nod.

"If he doesn't come, the whole things ruined and we're in serious trouble." Fred grumbled.

"Hey guys," Lee started, poking his head under. "Your prey has arrived."

"Finally," Usagi sighed with relief and returned to her seat at the table. Fred and George popped up soon after. Dumbledore initiated the feast a good fifteen minutes later than usual, and Usagi had the sneaking suspicion that he knew what they were up to as well. Malfoy and Crabbe got their chocolates as planned, and both were seemingly too absorbed in themselves to notice that they both received boxes before they tucked the items away.

Usagi smiled cheerfully and dug into her dinner with enthusiasm. After she finished, it seemed to take an eternity for dinner to end. When it finally did, Usagi and the twins rushed out of the Great Hall and sprinted towards the Armory at an unrivaled speed. They needed to be there long before their victims arrived. After several chaotic moments, they successfully concealed themselves behind objects.

"What did you write on the notes?" Fred whispered across the way.

"Something along the lines of 'Here's an after dinner treat for you, love, enjoy.' Lame, yes, but the two we're dealing with aren't really concerned about it anyways." Usagi whispered back. The twins snorted.

"This is going to be great. I can't believe the blokes actually fell for it, thus far." Fred muttered.

"Yeah, but how are you going to take pictures without them noticing. The camera has a flash, doesn't it?" Usagi questioned quietly.

"Yes, usually, but Creevey helped us rig it so that it would spit out good pictures without a flash. Ah, the beauty of magic," George mused in ecstasy. They all silenced when they heard the door knob turning. Said door creaked open loudly, and made a loud thump when closed. The gap between the stone wall and the suit of armor Usagi was hiding behind, she could see Malfoy strut in and look around with a puzzled expression.

"She must not be here yet." He said to himself, leaning against the wall idly to wait. She heard the small click of a camera to her left, and wondered why they were taking a picture now. Silence followed, and Usagi held her breath for fear that she might make too much noise. A loud crack sliced through the air, which made Usagi tumble backwards. She scurried back to her squatted position and peered through her gap once more.

She heard Malfoy coughing through the cloud of red smoke around him. When it cleared, Usagi had to shove half her fist in her mouth to keep from cracking up and ruining the rest of the prank. She heard another snap to her left, but it barely registered.

Malfoy let out a small scream as he looked downwards and discovered that he had become...well, a female. Though his hair was still slicked back, it had grown about double its previous length. His face was still the same, save his eyelashes were longer and his lips slightly fuller. Beyond that, he held the main attributes of a female, and it appeared as if he'd also shrunk several inches. Before Malfoy could even begin to figure out how the sudden change had occurred, the door to the Armory swung open with another loud screeching noise.

'_Here's part 2, love potion boy._' Usagi mused sardonically to herself, hand now covering her mouth since the fist had become painful. Crabbe and Malfoy locked gazes for several seconds before Crabbe advanced.

"Crabbe? What are you doing?" Malfoy said with his voice more high-pitched and squeaky than normal. The boy didn't answer, but instead continued to move forward like a possessed zombie. Malfoy moved to turn and run, but Crabbe grabbed him before he could even get a head start.

"Crabbe, let me go." Malfoy snapped with much bravado, but Crabbe didn't seem to hear him. Malfoy tried to squirm free, but he was useless against Crabbe's brute strength. Said boy, forced his lips onto Malfoy's, who let out a muffled yell and reeled his arm back, punching Crabbe directly on the cheek. Sometime between this another snap of the camera had sounded. His head snapped to the side and Malfoy pulled loose, sprinting away from his fellow Slytherin. Crabbe quickly recovered and ran after him.

"Stay away from me, Crabbe!" Malfoy screamed over his shoulder. The sound of pounding feet faded away, followed by several seconds of silence. That is, until the three left in the room exploded into fits of laughter. Only after 10 straight minutes of cackling, they quieted to catch their breath and wipe their eyes. Usagi was the first to speak.

"That...was the funniest...most ingenious thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life." She gasped, breaking into another set of giggles.

"Now comes the best part." Fred said, holding up the camera with a grin.

Needless to say, the school woke to find pictures of a near make-out scene between Malfoy and Crabbe two days later, on fliers with big bold letters reading '**Malfoy and Crabbe: Lovers?**'.

-----------

Ho hum. I had an amusing time writing this chapter, and the prank was much lamer than I had hoped, but what the heck. The suggestion for the 'turn into a girl' came from Midnight Fairy, one of my lovely reviewers, so thanks. My friend Brittney suggested that one of his cronies fall in love with him, and I worked out the rest. It was a group prank. Hehehe, I really wanted to add on some more to make it more evil, but I couldn't really think of anything. Oh well.

ATTENTION! Here's how it's going down from here on out. I'm 99 sure that this story is going to end within 5 chapters, so I have to kick the romance into gear. Yet, despite this, I'm still unsure of the couple. Therefore, I'm holding a vote this chapter for the couple. All previous votes are voided, and only votes submitted this chapter will be counted, so **don't** go and review other chapters with a vote just to get the upper hand. Malfoy is **not** an option at this point, so don't vote for him, mmmkay? I guess it's between Harry, Lee, Fred, and George. If you want to have a say in the couple, you **have **to vote this chapter, so vote away.

Reviews:

**Moon Guardian: **It's not going to be Draco/Usa so no worries about that. I haven't even considered Severus since he was barely in the story. As for Harry, we'll see.

**Critic: **Grazie for the compliments, but Usagi's family had moved to England dearie so they didn't have to walk far at all.

**Koosei: **Hehehe, they had a short meeting under the table in this chapter. D The necklace that Harry gave her was just a gift; Hermione was acting that way because she was suspecting that Harry likes Usagi, which would be quite correct. Feel free to use the meeting under the table idea; it was just a sugar-induced psychotic moment. )

**Shatoi: **Sorry, I'm not having that couple. 

**SilverWingPhoenix: **Really? I didn't think it was that surprising. oO

**DevilWench: **Meep, I'm happy that you love it. D Sorry, I'm rather bum-ish with story updates. --

**Dark Universe: **Hehehe, I 3 Helios. I did break 200, I never thought I'd get that with any story, I'm so excited.

**Eternal Cosmos: **Very very soon Usagi will be called into battle, and we'll get to see what she's made of. Sorry I write so slowly. --;

**Kairinu: **Grazie, updated.

**Midnight**** Fairy: **Well, I was going to make Harry Jealous, but I dunno, I kinda changed my mind after I started writing it out. Grazie for the idea of turning Malfoy into a girl, though I didn't really do everything you suggested. D

**Starlytemint: **Yes, well, I'm having a complex over here trying not to tamper with the HP storyline too much. Thank you for giving me the idea in the first place, I was on the brink of having her go with Lee. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, thanks again.

**Elven Mischief: **Why of course, we're always happy to recruit new members to the dark side. D

**Maiden Genisis: **Really? Wow, someone did guess. O You're a genius darling. Thank you lots. D

**IcyButterflyKiss: **Meep, I remember you. I'm glad you like the story.

**Narani: **It's okay, I know the feeling. ; Soon...soon it will be revealed...muahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. I'm fine, really. At this point, I don't really think that Malfoy and Usagi would work, but I agree that Harry is boring. I'm hoping that the votes go in someone else's favor. I personally like Malfoy though, and the guy who plays him in the movies is hot. stares at Tom Felton Thank you much, and of course the big event was the prank, though I guess it could also be considered the hair thing...really, that was just a convenient ploy for the prank's success. Ehem...I'll be quiet now.

**Usagi ****Asia**** Maxwell: **Meep, yes, I am slowly progressing out of my 'Usagi goes Goth' stories. I received the first season of Sailor Moon boxed set and, after watching it, realized what a great injustice I was doing to Usagi's character. I'm glad that you can still enjoy this story though, despite its weak plot and OOCness. ;

**Usagi no Megami: **Well, the Helios/Usagi ball thing was Starlytemint's idea, and a very splendid idea it was. If you want a pairing, you'll have to vote this chapter, we'll see who wins next time. Thanks.

**Draconmouth: **Once again, votes will be cast for the pairing this chapter.

**Shelum: **Meep, all you people changing your names is confusing. Thank you though. D

**Yami Nocturna – dead: **I would definitely consider it, but I'm leaving the couple up to the audience. Perhaps, if it doesn't work out for Helios, I'll write a one-shot with a. Usa/Helios pairing.

**The devout one called Maxwell: **Thank you so much for your review, I 3 Helios as well.

**Henio: **Thanks D

**Sailor-Celestia2:** Meep, I don't know, I wasn't really planning on it. Perhaps I could work it into the story...starts thinking

Well, that's the reviews for last chapter. 23! O I'm really excited, I finally broke 200 reviews. This story is nearing it's conclusion, so remember to vote on the pairing, and only once. See you next chapter!

SachiNyoko "God must love stupid people, He made so many."


	15. The Second Task

"Hey Usagi!" Startled out of a daydream session, Usagi looked up at the trio before her with a slightly alarmed expression. Harry and Ron looked like they just won a lifetime supply of free candy, both sporting huge grins, and Hermione looked somewhere between annoyed and amused. Harry brandished a flyer in front of her face.

"Have you seen this yet?" He asked. Usagi grin deviously and took the flyer from him, skimming over the bold letters once again.

"Why, yes, I have seen this." She nodded, handing the parchment back to him, "The work of your twin brothers, no doubt?" She questioned towards Ron.

"Only ones it could have been, though I have no idea how they pulled this one off." Ron said with his grin still bigger than ever. "This is like a dream come true."

"Glad you're enjoying it," Usagi laughed.

"It looks like you got your hair back to normal" Hermione commented as she gestured to the blonde's pigtails.

"Yes, well, oddly enough, you had to put more of the stuff in to get all of it out. I guess it made the previous stuff liquid-y again and washable, like when you put on more than one coat of nail polish and it takes longer to dry." Usagi shrugged. Harry and Ron exchanged glances, but Hermione nodded slightly. "Anyways, I have a Transfiguration paper that I've been ignoring the past three days, so I'll see you guys later."

"Okay, bye Usagi." The three waved to the girl as she sprinted off towards the library.

* * *

(Warning: There's about to be a major time warp between the Yule Ball and the Second Task, just so you know.)

"Watcha working on, Usagi?" Fred asked as he popped out from under the table she was sitting at, quickly trailed by George. Usagi nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I thought I heard someone talking under there, I believe I told you two not to have meetings under the table I'm sitting at unless I'm invited too." She scolded the two. George scratched his head.

"Oh yeah, I remember you saying that now." He said.

"I'm finishing up this assignment. Once it's done, I'll be caught up on all the work I missed." Usagi said, answering Fred's earlier question. The twins looked over at the huge stack of books at the other end of the table.

"Then what is that?" George asked. Usagi looked at the stack and flushed.

"That's all the work I got since I've been trying to make up what I missed." She answered. Fred and George exchanged looks of surprise.

"Usagi, I think it's about time you just...gave up for this year. Cram for your exams and scrape by." Fred commented submissively.

"Yeah, it worked for us." George nodded.

"You're probably right." Usagi agreed, setting down her quill and looking at the stack of work.

"Anyways, we're supposed to be getting Ron and Hermione for something or other on McGonagall's orders. See you around." The twins waved and wandered off. Usagi sighed and propped her chin in her hands, looking remorsefully at the abandoned homework.

"It looks like I'm no better at magic school than I am at regular school." She groaned and packed her books back into her bag. "Maybe I can get some leeway from Dumbledore since I am on a mission and all. There's no time to do all this school work. That's what I'll tell him, maybe he'll pass me. Humph, I doubt it."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Usagi jumped and turned to see Helios behind her. She smiled.

"Yeah, and answering myself to, a sure sign of craziness. How's Fleur?" Usagi inquired innocently with a playful grin. Helios reddened.

"How should I know?" He asked. Before Usagi could respond, Professor McGonagall breezed into the room and targeted the two immediately. Usagi visibly shrunk as the woman approached, sporting one of her cold expressions.

"Good evening, Miss Tsukino. I need to borrow your friend." She said, and Usagi exhaled with relief.

"Helios? What do you need him for?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at her companion. He looked more bewildered than she did.

"I'm afraid I can't say." McGonagall said apologetically.

"Um...okay. Bye then, Helios." Usagi waved as the he followed the Professor out of the library, looking completely perplexed. Shaking her head, Usagi turned and made to leave the library as well when she spotted Harry on the other side of the room, deeply immersed in _Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts_. She bounced over to his table and sat her bag down.

"What are you working on?" She inquired, leaning over his shoulder to look at the book. Harry jumped clean off his seat.

"Bloody hell, you scared the crap out of me!" He exclaimed. "I'm trying to figure out how to breathe underwater, but there doesn't seem to be any plausible way of doing so."

"That's easy; get a scuba suit." Usagi shrugged, taking a seat across from as he tried to slow his heart rate.

"I wish I could, but I don't think they'll allow that in the Triwizard Tournament." Harry said regretfully.

"Oh yeah, the second task is tomorrow. How long do you have to stay underwater?" Usagi asked.

"Nearly an hour, I'd wager. The clue works out to mean that the merpeople in the lake are going take something important to me and I have to get it back before an hour or it's gone forever. Ron and Hermione were helping but Fred and George came and got them a while ago, something about seeing McGonagall." Harry explained. Usagi's eyes lit up.

"There are merpeople in the lake?" She asked breathlessly.

"Apparently so," Harry nodded.

"That's so cool! Hey wait a minute, Ron and Hermione went to McGonagall? She was just here, she came and got Helios but she wouldn't tell me why. Looked rather dismal too," Usagi mused, thinking back to McGonagall's attitude. "You don't think it has anything to do with the task tomorrow, do you?"

"I don't see how..." Harry replied, looking pensive. Then, it clicked. "Unless the 'something you'll sorely miss' is a person! Of course! The merpeople can't just waltz into the castle and take something, it has to be delivered, and it couldn't really be a material possession. Each champion has to save a friend from the merpeople! Usagi, you're a genius."

"Um...thanks, but you still have to work out how to hold your breath for an hour." Usagi reminded him, which dampened his spirits considerably. "I'll help you figure it out, though I'm no where near as smart as Hermione."

"No one is," Harry shrugged and handed her a thick book entitled '_Madcap Magic for Whacky Warlocks_'. "Just browse for anything that might be able to help."

* * *

Later on that very same evening, huddled in the corner of the common room, Usagi and Harry sat Indian-style with stacks of books around them, looking like they were conducting a study pow-wow of some sort. They had figured out what they were trying to get back, sure, but that didn't making breathing under water any easier. Both of them kept fading in and out of consciousness, the common room being completely empty.

"Say Harry," Usagi yawned, rubbing at her eyes.

"Hmm?" He replied, eyes half opened as he looked over at her.

"What are you going to do if we don't find anything?" She asked.

"Forfeit?" He said with a shrug.

"We're out of books." Usagi commented, tossing the last one into the 'browsed needlessly' pile.

"Yeah...might as well just go to bed." Harry yawned.

"We can't, what about the person you're supposed to save?" Usagi asked.

"I dunno...hey, I'll be right back." Harry sprung to his feet with a kindled bit of hope and rushed up the staircase to the dormitory. He snatched up the Invisibility Cloak from his trunk and sprinted back down stairs. Usagi was waiting for him, looking exhausted but very curious.

"What's that?" She inquired, pointing at the silvery object in his hands.

"Invisibility Cloak, now we can go back to the library." He explained, throwing the cloth over the two of them and pulling out a piece of parchment that Usagi immediately recognized as the Marauder's Map. They traveled to the library swiftly, not bothering to be extremely quiet since no one was out at this hour. As soon as they reached the library, Harry threw off the cloak and sped over to the shelves. He pulled down book after book, stacking them onto a nearby table. Usagi took the hint and picked one up, sitting down and preparing for another rigorous search.

* * *

"See you later, Dobby! Usagi, wake up!" Usagi swatted sleepily at the hands that were trying to rouse her. Harry was persistent, however, and she was out of her seat in no time.

"What's going on?" She asked drowsily, patting down her tousled hair. Her mind jolted awake, however, as Harry grabbed her arm and sprinted out of the library, dragging her behind.

"The task starts in five minutes!" He yelled back at her. Usagi's eyes widened.

"But we didn't figure out how to breathe underwater! Did we?" She questioned uncertainly.

"I'll explain later!" Harry said as he parted with her to join the other three champions. Usagi walked towards the spectator seating in a daze, spotting Lee and the twins. She joined them immediately.

"Hullo," Lee greeted, "you look like you just woke up."

"10 minutes ago," Usagi nodded, pointing to her messy hair. She sat next to Lee and stretched her legs out, yawning. "How are we supposed to watch the champions underwater?"

"I dunno, I think we just wait until they pop back up again." Lee shrugged. The crowd quieted as Ludo Bagman's voice rang over the crowd, enhanced by a charm no doubt.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They will have precisely and hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three then; One...two..._three_!" Just like that, the stands exploded into cheers and applause. Usagi observed with interest as Fleur held her wand up to her head, said something she couldn't make out, and a large bubble appeared around it. The boy next to her, she couldn't remember his name, did the same thing. The guy from Durmstrang muttered something and changed his head into a shark head, which made Usagi giggle before he dived underwater.

"Hey Usagi, what is Harry doing?" Lee asked.

"Beats me, he figured something out after I fell asleep I guess." Usagi shrugged and watched Harry pull a clump of some kind of plant out of his pocket. He broke off a large chunk and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing fast. Her eyes widened as he began to morph into something fish-like, with webbed hand and gills. He seemed to struggle for a moment before plunging underwater as well. The crowd died down and took their seats once more.

"That was interesting." Lee commented.

"Very. I wonder where he got that stuff." Usagi mused.

'_Come to think of it, wasn't he in the library with me the whole time? Wasn't he saying good-bye to Dobby when I woke up? I wonder if Dobby brought him that stuff. But then, where did he get it from?_' She cleared her thoughts and sighed, she wasn't going to even try figuring it out. She could just ask Harry about it later, right now she was extremely tired. Curling up in her chair, she took the liberty of resting her head on Lee's shoulder and almost immediately fell asleep. Fred, who was sitting on her opposite side, quickly spotted the snoozing girl and scooted closer to George.

"I don't know if I like her when she's sleeping, she gets awfully violent." He said, sending a cautious glance at the blonde. The group settled in for a long hours wait

* * *

"GO CEDRIC!" Usagi jumped up and looked around. Most of the people in the stands were on their feet cheering, and Usagi soon realized why. The other Hogwarts champion, who she now remembered as Cedric, was wading to the lake shore with a pretty black-haired girl that Usagi had never seen before. She looked around expectantly, but Harry apparently hadn't resurfaced yet.

"Stupid pretty boy," Fred muttered under his breath. Usagi laughed.

"No sign of Harry?" she asked.

"Not yet." Lee replied, shaking his head. Usagi settled back into her seat to wait. After some amount of time, the boy with the shark head popped up from the water with Hermione in tow. It was then that Usagi spotted Fleur Delacour on the shoreline drinking something that Madam Pomfrey had handed her. The girl looked particularly battered, her robes were torn in several places and she had an assortment of cuts on her face and arms. Usagi fought her way to the front of the stands and waved Fleur over.

"What happened, are you alright?" Usagi asked, gesturing towards the cuts and bruises.

"I was attacked by grindylows." Fleur explained, shaking her head in shame. "I'm fine, but Helios is still down there."

"What? Helios was your hostage?" Usagi questioned in surprise. Fleur blushed and nodded.

"I don't think that the hostages are really going to get hurt though. At least, I hope not." She said anxiously. Usagi glanced over at the where the judges were seated. A few of them were talking among themselves, and she quickly zeroed in on Dumbledore, who was having an animated conversation with Ludo Bagman.

"I'll be back." Usagi said before marching towards the group with determined bravado. She came to a halt in front of Dumbledore and waited patiently for a break in the conversation. None came for several moments, until Dumbledore looked up at Usagi and smiled brightly.

"Miss Usagi, may I help you?" He asked.

"Um...Fleur's hostage, my friend Helios, is still under there with the merpeople and I wanted to know if he is seriously in danger." Usagi said uncomfortably, aware that the other judges were watching her.

"Excuse me Miss, I don't think that it's--" Karkaroff began contemptuously, but Dumbledore put up his hand to silence the man's tirade.

"Surely you don't think--" but Dumbledore's words were drowned out by an eruption of cheers from the stands. Almost everyone had jumped to their feet, yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs. Usagi looked around before she spotted the cause of the commotion, Harry. His head was visible and bobbing on top of the water some distance offshore. Next to him, Ron was saying something and looking extremely exasperated. On the other side, Helios was already swimming towards the shore.

Around them, more heads began to break the lake surface. Each of them sported a head full of wild, green, seaweed-like hair and bright yellow eyes that had no pupils. They were all smiling in Harry's direction and talking to each other in what sounded like a string of low screeching noises. Usagi drew in a gasp as she realized they must be the merpeople that lived in the lake. Helios waded out of the water, dripping wet and shivering. Usagi rushed to his side, eyes still on the merpeople.

"Wow, they're merpeople Helios." She breathed, mesmerized. Helios shook his head and was about to respond when the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, snatched him up and wrapped him in a thick blanket.

"Come on, dear, you need to drink some of this." She said, dragging him towards the other champions and hostages. Usagi blinked as Helios disappeared from her side, and quickly followed after him. Harry and Ron joined the group moments later. Harry looked rather annoyed as Madam Pomfrey attempted to choke him to death with the Pepperup Potion. He watched as Dumbledore spoke with the merpeople. Usagi observed this spectacle too, still enthralled by the presence of the creatures.

"I thing they're quite creepy." Fleur commented as she realized what Usagi was looking at. Usagi nodded absentmindedly, and then turned towards Fleur with a mischievous grin.

"_So_, Helios was your hostage, eh?" She asked teasingly. Fleur reddened again. Usagi was about to continue when Bagman's voice cut her off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions as follows..."

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal. We award her twenty-five points." The crowd applauded while Fleur shook her head.

"I deserved zero." She said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, you did well." Usagi scolded, turning back to Bagman.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned on minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points." The Hufflepuffs roared and cheered, while Usagi grumbled that he'd also woken her up.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points." The crowd applauded politely, making Karkaroff stand out with his obnoxiously loud clapping.

"So he's the Durmstrang leader guy." Usagi muttered to herself, giving the headmaster an unpleasant look.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own." Hermione and Ron gave Harry annoyed looks, but Usagi beamed at him.

"Most of the judges," Bagman paused to glare at Karkaroff for a moment, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However, Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points." The stands erupted into cheers once more, and Usagi cheered just as loud as the people in the stands, making those around her cover their ears. Ron said something to Harry, but she couldn't hear it. Fleur was clapping right along with Usagi, though she couldn't manage the same level of enthusiasm.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June." Bagman announced, making the crowd settle down just enough to hear him. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

"Harry, you were wonderful!" Usagi exclaimed, pouncing and enveloping him in a hug. "You saved Helios, thank you!"

"Um...you're welcome." Harry said awkwardly, his face extremely red.

"Now I'm _really_ hungry, let's go get some food." Usagi announced, grabbing onto Harry's and Fleur's robes and dragging them off towards the castle, leaving the rest of the group to follow.

* * *

Aloha! Well, I dunno. Not really much to comment on. I'm supposed to be out of town right, now, but I'm not leaving until tomorrow so I figured I would get this out. I was going to have another scene but I realized it would be too long for me to finish tonight. Next chapter should be full of surprises, unlike this mediocre one. Meh. Unless you thought the Helios/Fleur pairing was a surprise.

It seems that most of you liked the lovely little Malfoy prank last chapter. In fact, some of you wanted more. Wow. Also, I completely revamped the first chapter because...well...it was horrid. Read it, it's quite different, though there are no major plot differences really.

I went and saw PoA in theatres. My main complaint: Sirius and Lupin should have been sexier! Sheesh, they're Marauders for crying out loud. Speaking of sexy Marauders, check out my new SM/HP story called 'Oh Brawling Love'. Yay, free advertising. It's set in the Marauders era, and it's a Sirius/Usagi pairing.

Well, after review replies, it doesn't seem like Lee's as far behind as I thought he was. I have to officially count the votes now. Let's see...OH MY GOD! -falls over and dies- It seems I was wrong, Lee has beat Harry in the voting by ONE point. That's right, it's nine to eight. Wow. Just wow. Just so you know, the polls are officially closed, and the couple is final. This story is officially going to be a Lee/Usagi. Who would've though?

-SachiNyoko- Talk show host: "What were you thinking right before you hit the ground?" Evil Kanieval: "I remember thinking 'Hey, did I turn off the iron?' Then my leg cracked in half and I thought 'Hey, maybe I should get a puppy!' What do you think I was thinking? I was thinking 'AHHHH! AHHHH!'"


	16. The Walking Dead, Lee's Dilemma

The wind picked up violently, so Usagi pulled her cloak tightly around her and continued onward. The houses seemed to thin out with every few feet until all around her was countryside. Vast green fields fanned out on either side of the road, and ahead loomed a large mountain. She looked over her shoulder at the remnants of Hogsmeade and decided that she'd wandered quite far enough for now.

Dropping her bag to the ground, she sat down on the grass next to the road and leaned against the wooden fence that separated it from the field beyond. She pulled a paper towel-wrapped sandwich out of her bag and opened it, taking a huge bite out of the corner. Savoring the flavor for a moment, she chewed and swallowed the chunk of food.

"Hmm...It is nice, having a bit of quiet time." No sooner had she said it than she heard a bark some ways down the road. She looked up to see a large, shaggy black dog approaching her. Gulping as it got nearer; she looked down at her sandwich regretfully. However, the dog didn't attack her. Instead, it sat several feet away, dropped a couple of newspapers on the ground, and stared at the food in her hand.

"Um...hi doggie," she greeted awkwardly, still clutching onto her sandwich. The dog whimpered and continued to gaze at the sandwich as if mesmerized. Usagi noticed that despite its thick coat of fur, the dog looked awfully thin and didn't have a collar, signaling a stray. With a sigh, she gave in.

"Alright, you can have it. It's smoked turkey and mustard." Usagi explained as if the dog could understand her. Unbeknownst to her, the dog understood perfectly and wagged its tail as she sat the food down in front of him. She watched rather wide-eyed as the dog ate it in record time.

"Wow, you were really hungry." She commented. With another remorseful sigh, she began to dig into her bag again. She pulled out some biscuits, and the dog sniffed into the air.

"Tiombe made these especially for me, but you look like you need them more than I do. They should still be warm." She explained while untangling them from the dish towel they were enveloped in. The dog stood on all fours and wagged its tail enthusiastically as she placed the golden-brown biscuits before him. As he devoured them, Usagi shook her head.

"You're lucky I like animals, you know." She said, folding her arms. The dog looked up at her as he ate with a strange look in his eyes that Usagi couldn't pinpoint. Once the biscuits were finished, the dog walked closer and licked her cheek. Usagi giggled and scratched it behind the ears.

"I guess that's a thank you." She mused. The dog's ears perked up and it looked past her, down the street. Usagi followed its gaze and spotted three people she knew.

"Harry! Ron, Hermione! What are you guys doing out here?" She greeted enthusiastically, rising to her feet. The dog didn't move from her side, but stared at the newcomers intently.

"Usagi? We could say the same for you." Harry said, casting a wary glance at the black dog beside her.

"I just needed a break and Tiombe offered to pack me a lunch, so I thought I'd explore. The dog here ate most of it though." Usagi laughed, gesturing towards the dog next to her. He stood on all fours and walked towards Harry, sniffing the bag in his hands eagerly and wagging his tail. "It looks like he's still hungry. What are you guys doing here?"

"Um, pretty much the same thing." Harry replied, looking down at the black dog with raised eyebrows. Usagi smiled brightly.

"Great, then we could join each other!" She said cheerfully.

"Er..." Harry looked at the dog again, who stared back with a look that, to him, clearly said 'no way.' Ron and Hermione were also staring at him tensely. Thinking fast, he made eye contact with Usagi once more. "Actually, Fred and George were looking for you."

"Yeah, they were." Ron said suddenly, "They said something about a prank." He elaborated. Harry raised his eyebrows at Ron, who nodded back, but Usagi looked like she was thinking and didn't notice the exchange.

"I wonder what they're up to now...alright then you guys, I guess I'll see you later." She shrugged, picking up her things.

"Bye," the three waved. Usagi turned and made her way down the road, but once she was a safe distance away, she turned around to look at the group again. Harry was speaking to the dog, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Then, the dog turned and walked in the opposite direction that she was headed, and the trio followed.

"Something was definitely going on there." Usagi mused. "I should probably follow them..." Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she stashed her bag in some thick grass and turned to follow after the group that had already disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Barely breathing, Usagi listened in carefully to the conversation taking place in the cavern beyond. So far she'd concluded that the black dog she'd associated with had been waiting for Harry, Ron, and Hermione all along. Not to mention that he was actually a grown man named Sirius, Harry's godfather, and a criminal.

She'd also heard some interesting stories about the Quidditch World Cup, though she only knew about that from what Harry and Ron had told her, Mr. Crouch, who she very vaguely remembered as one of the Triwizard judges, and his son, who was apparently dead.

Usagi shifted, which was a terrible mistake. Her resilient clumsiness attacked and sent her crashing to the ground at the mouth of the cavern. The people only several feet away froze in their conversation and rushed out, wands at the ready. When they spotted the now battered blonde, they're eyes widened.

"Usagi? What on earth...?" Harry began with a stunned tone of voice. Usagi sat up from her sprawled glory and looked up at Harry with wide eyes, completely at a loss for words. However, words were something that Usagi never lost for very long.

"I'm sorry, I was just worried because you guys were acting weird and then I seen you talking to the dog and I decided to follow you in case you got into any danger or something. I won't tell anybody anything I heard, I swear, and I'm really really sorry." She said, clapping her hands together and bowing in the Japanese manor of apology. Harry turned his perplexed eyes to Sirius as if asking him 'what now?'

"Just who are you?" Sirius asked, seeing that Harry wasn't going to make any moves. Usagi looked up at him.

"Um, my name is Usagi; I'm one of Harry's friends. I'm an exchange student from Japan." She explained, looking quite scared. Sirius looked at her skeptically.

"Exchange student? I've never heard of Hogwarts taking exchange students. Why did you come to England?" He asked.

"My family moved here earlier this year." Usagi replied.

"What was the name of your wizarding school in Japan?" Sirius continued, still looking at the girl disbelievingly. Usagi's eyes widened. She opened her mouth and closed it again, losing her words for the second time.

"I thought so." Sirius said, raising his wand. "Who are you really, then?"

"Um..." Usagi looked over at Harry, then back at Sirius with her eyes full of fear. "Alright, alright, just don't curse me." She pleaded. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked on curiously.

"I'm not really a witch at all. Well, I use magic, just not the same kind as you. Dumbledore invited me to Hogwarts because he wanted me to protect Harry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She added towards Harry, keeping her eyes on the ground. Sirius still didn't look convinced.

"How are you supposed to protect Harry if you're not even a witch?" He inquired, wand still raised. Usagi sighed.

"Well, have you ever heard of the sailor scouts? The senshi?" Usagi asked slowly.

"Once or twice, but I haven't been around the news much the past few years. Enlighten me." Sirius answered.

"Well, they're warriors who fight using light and elemental magic, and each one of them represents a planet in the solar system. Well, the central 9 do anyways; there are lots of others that we've never even seen." Usagi explained.

"Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about; the girls in the skimpy costumes that fought monsters. There was one in England too, I believe." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Sailor V," Usagi nodded, though somewhat peeved over the skimpy costume comment.

"Well, I'm a sailor scout. Sailor Moon," Usagi said. The statement made the whole group look bewildered. Sirius was the first to bounce back, looking more suspicious than ever.

"Now I really know that you're lying. They died several months ago at the hands of--"

"Voldemort," Usagi smiled dully while Ron shivered. "When he killed them, I didn't know who he was. I'm not a witch, so I'd never heard of Voldemort before. When I finally did get the story, I realized that's who did it. Of course, Voldemort isn't in power anymore, he's weak, and so he didn't do it himself. He did it using--"

"One of the scouts," Sirius interrupted. "He supposedly took over the leader and killed the others through her. At least, that's the story I heard, it might have been rubbish."

"No, it's true. Voldemort led me into a trap by using my little brother, and then he took over my body and killed all of my protectors through me. He left me alive to suffer through their passing with a promise to come back for me later, and now everyone in Japan sees Sailor Moon as a criminal and a murderer instead of a super hero." Usagi swallowed over the lump in her throat. It was still hard for her to think about what happened, and now she felt even worse because she hadn't been completely honest with Harry.

The group settled into an awkward silence. Hermione looked dazed, like her mind was still processing the information that had just been given. Ron seemed very frightened at the prospect of Voldemort still taking over people, as he had done in their second year. Harry looked like he'd been riding a 90 mph roller coaster for 20 minutes and just now stepped onto solid ground.

Sirius lowered his wand looking slightly surprised, but more so pensive as he stared at Usagi.

"Hey, what time is it?" He asked after several moments. Harry lifted his arm, but his watch wasn't working due to the lake escapade several days before, so Hermione offered the answer.

"Four o'clock," she said.

"It's late; you guys should hurry back to school. Keep in touch, Harry, but don't even think about coming out here to see me. Just tell me if anything else happens out of the ordinary." Sirius instructed. He turned into his animagus form before Harry could argue and began leading them down the mountain.

* * *

Harry stopped; Ron and Hermione had already fled to the common room, now he was walking continuously with no real destination. All he was really sure of was that Usagi was still following him.

"I am really sorry that I didn't tell you everything Harry, but you have to understand how hard...how impossible it would have been for me to tell you." Usagi said quietly.

"I can understand not telling me, Usagi, but I can't understand lying about it." Harry replied. Usagi's eyes flickered dangerously.

"I didn't lie to you, Harry; I just left some of it out because I didn't want you to know it, okay? There are only two other people on this entire planet that know everything you know about me. I didn't do it to hurt your feelings, you're my friend." She retorted angrily.

"Only because you have to be my friend, isn't that right? You're not supposed to start friendships on those circumstances, because it's your duty." Harry turned to face her, his emerald eyes gleaming with anger.

Usagi's mouth dropped open for a second, and then she reeled her hand back and slapped him viciously across the face. He looked thoroughly shocked as he placed his hand on the sore spot. Usagi's hands were shaking.

"What else was I supposed to do, Harry? You tell me that, since you're the friendship expert here." She seethed before turning on her heel and stomping off.

* * *

Once Usagi reached a deserted corridor she came to a stop, breathing heavily. All the running made her dizzy, so she leaned against the wall next to her to take a breather. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

'_They all died because of you. The blood is on your hands, Princess._' Usagi opened her eyes, which were now glassy with tears. She held her trembling hands in front of her, her eyes traveling over the lines and creases. They stopped on the jagged scar down her wrist that had faded so much since it had been cut there.

'_I should've just died._' She slid down to the stone floor and felt the sob rising up in her throat. Burying her head into her knees to muffle it, she let it loose with the tears that had flooded her eyes.

Unfortunately, the deserted hall she'd picked wasn't as deserted as she wanted it to be. Lee Jordan rounded the corner with a wide grin on his face, apparently excited about something. He spotted Usagi and spoke without letting his mind register the situation.

"Hey Usagi, we came up with this idea--" He stopped, blinked, and looked closer at the scrunched up blonde. He squatted down to her level and tilted his head to the side.

"Usagi?" Said girl didn't respond, or move to, so Lee reached out his hand to touch her shoulder. Usagi flinched at the contact and pulled herself closer to the wall, so her back was pressed against it. She drew in a few gasps of air that were still shaking with tears and managed to utter a few fragmented words.

"I'd like to be alone, please." Her voice wavered through the sentence, so it took Lee several seconds to comprehend what she was saying. His better judgment told him that leaving Usagi alone at the moment might not be the brightest idea, but on the other hand he had no idea how to deal with an emotionally distraught person.

"What happened?" He asked edgily, afraid that if he said anything wrong she might go off on him, or worse. Usagi sniffed and started coughing, her whole body jerking forward with each movement. Once she regained control of her voice, she tried speaking again.

"None of your business; just go away." She said, trying to sound as forceful as possible. Her head never lifted from its haven in her arms, and her words were still muffled into her knees, but the comment made Lee wince regardless. He lost his voice for a moment or two, trying to think of what to say next.

"I'm just trying to help." Lee said desperately, but he didn't really think he was explaining anything. He'd give anything for an instant dose of empathy, or wisdom, or any other attribute that might help him along. For the first time, Usagi lifted her head to face him. Though she hadn't been crying for a long period of time, her eyes didn't show it. They were puffy and bloodshot, still leaking tears that ran down over her flushed cheeks and falling onto her cloak, where they disappeared instantly into the fabric.

"Why?" She asked simply, almost monotonously.

"Well, because you're my friend." Lee replied, feeling increasingly stupid with every word. The way Usagi was staring unnerved him. He was used to the sparkling and the happiness, even though it was forced sometimes. The only other time her eyes had been like this was earlier in the year, when she had gone into that strange trance. She blinked once before wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

"Am I? What have I done to become your friend? I'm a terrible friend, Lee. I only lie and hide things from you, sometimes I even put my friends lives in danger because of who I am. You seen the picture of my friends in Japan, didn't you?" She paused and looked up at him expectantly. His eyes widened. '_How did she find out?_'

"Um...yeah..." He said apprehensively.

"All of them are dead. It's my fault too. Their blood is on my hands." She held out her hands for emphasis, as if they were still dripping with scarlet. Lee glanced at them uncomfortably, noticing for the first time the white scar that ran vertically down her wrist. "And the scar? That was me trying to join them, because what kind of life can you live after your closest friends and future husband are ripped away from you? You can't live, Lee, I can't live. I'm the walking dead."

Usagi silenced, her eyes searching his for a reaction, any reaction. Lee looked stunned. He swallowed and tried to avoid looking into Usagi's cold, dead eyes. He felt like he was in way over his head, and he was probably right. What was he going to do now? Finally settling on what to say next, he lifted his head up to look her in the eyes, no matter how unsettling it was.

"You don't have to meet standards to be somebody's friend, Usagi, especially me. What's past is past, right?" Usagi didn't respond, but she didn't look so blank anymore. Perhaps she was thinking it over, seeing if it all added up in her mind. Lee still had the notion that he should say something more, do something more. Hesitantly, he reached a hand out towards her, still not completely sure of what he was doing. His hand brushed against her cheek, and her eyes seemed to flicker back to life. She stared up at him, and then down at her hands, eyes wide.

"I didn't mean to say all that to you, I'm sorry." Usagi moved to stand, but Lee grabbed onto her arm and kept her at his level.

"Hey, it's okay. I still didn't catch what happened." He said, repositioning himself to sit Indian-style on the stone.

"What are you, my therapist?" Usagi asked with borderline sarcasm as she tried to leave again.

"I am now so sit down." Lee all but commanded. Usagi sighed and gave in.

"Well?" Usagi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Harry's shocked face flickered through her mind and she winced, realizing for the first time that her hand still mildly stung from the blow. Tears threatened to fill her eyes again but she bit them back.

"I had another fight with Harry." She finally said. Something flickered in Lee's eyes, she couldn't identify it, and it was gone before she could even confirm that it had been there.

"About what," Lee questioned.

"Well, it's a long story..." Usagi shifted her eyes up to Lee's and saw something there that she didn't quite expect; concern for her wellbeing and a willingness to listen to what she had to say. Telling her story hadn't been east before, but being threatened with a wand had certainly helped her along. Now, she had to choose for herself whether to reveal her past or lie again, like she had been doing for the past year. She chose to move on, to try putting her trust in someone once more, and see where that took her. "But I can sum it up for you."

* * *

Usagi collapsed into the comfort of her four poster bed. Her face still felt like it was on fire, so she placed the backs of her hands over them to try to absorb the heat. As if today hadn't been hectic and confusing enough already, she had to be knocked of her feet just one more time before she rested. Of course, this time it was quite...nice. Her cheeks regained all the heat that had just cooled as the scene flashed through her mind again.

_Lee stood, and Usagi followed his example, noticing for the first time that he was at least a head taller than she was. The sides of his mouth lifted into a grin as she stared at him. She raised an eyebrow._

_"What?" She asked._

_"Nothing," Lee shrugged. "You should go to bed though, you know. It's late now."_

_"So you're my mother now?" Usagi asked playfully, looking past him to the window at the end of the hall to see that the sun had in fact already set._

_"Sure, why not? I still need to talk to Fred and George. They were looking for you earlier." Lee said thoughtfully._

_"Really? So they didn't just make that up after all...imagine that." Usagi mused._

_"Uh-huh. Well, see you tomorrow then." Lee replied._

_"Right. Bye." Usagi waved and turned to walk away when Lee called her back again._

_"Oh, and Usagi," He began. Usagi blinked and turned to face him, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw how close he was. Before she could get annoyed with him, he tilted her head up towards his and planted a kiss right on her lips. She didn't have time to respond, or even close her eyes. It was short, and sweet._

_"Good night." Lee said shortly before turning and walking off to go find the twins. Usagi stood frozen on the spot. He was well around the corner before she managed to call out a squeaky goodnight._

Usagi closed her eyes and sighed. Sure, she had enjoyed it, but there were so many things on her mind right now. '_Oh...what now?_'

* * *

-stares at the ground as if nothing happened- So, how's the weather? Kidding, but I really think this chapter was more interesting than some previous ones. I had the worst writer's block near the end of this chapter, but put my nose to the grind stone and finished it. You know what that means? I need a response. If you liked it, I want to know. If you hate Lee/Usagi, I want your flames and hate reviews. If you're disappointed, I want to know why! Okay, I'm slightly hyper, but it's all good.

Wowie! 27! I'm blown away! Not to mention exhausted, that was tiring. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to read all of your angry reviews. D

-SachiNyoko- 'Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!' (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)


	17. Happy Easter

Lee picked out an oddly colored jelly bean from the box next to him, which was affectionately labeled 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans'. Without glancing at it, he popped the so-called candy in his mouth. He quickly realized his mistake as he tasted the foul flavor of sardines on his tongue. Gagging, he spit the slobbery white bean back into his hand.

"Yuck, why did I even buy these?" He muttered to himself, tossing the candy back into the box and throwing that in the trash can. His eyes traveled around the common room subconsciously, even though he knew it was empty. The person he waited for couldn't arrive quickly enough in his mind, although he had no idea what he was going to say to them when they did show up.

'_What was he thinking?_' It was the only thought on his mind since he had spoken with Usagi. The question would pop into his head at any given moment, canceling out anything he was doing at the time, like a hyper little kid craving attention. The reason, of course, was because his brain couldn't come up with a logical answer. So now, he figured the only way to resolve it was to ask the source of the question himself, and that was exactly what Lee planned on doing.

Said source entered the common room at that moment, alone for a change, which served as a convenience for Lee. His bright green eyes roamed over the room until they spotted Lee slid down as far down as he could go in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, which was currently just a pile of ashes and burnt wood. Lee was watching him almost predatorily as he dropped his bag on the couch and raised an eyebrow for the scrutiny.

"Is something wrong?" Harry finally asked, although the question was a given. He knew something was troubling the boy in front of him and he also had an idea of what it was. It was Lee's turn to raise an eyebrow, and he did so, while wondering where he was going to start. He didn't have to wonder long, Harry started for him. "Look, if this is about Usagi--"

"Good guess." Lee interrupted. "And we're going to talk about it whether you want to or not." Harry's mouth closed as Lee correctly guessed the next half of his sentence.

"Look, it's none of your business." Harry said sharply, reaching for his bag again.

"I'm making it my business Harry, because Usagi is my friend and she didn't deserve what you did to her." Lee retorted rather calmly. Harry's hand froze midway to the couch and his mouth twitched in anger, making Lee realize that he'd touched a nerve. This was about to explode into a full blown argument, and he was ready for it. If he hadn't found Usagi when he did, if he hadn't been there...well, he didn't want to even consider what Usagi might have done to herself. He wasn't about to let Harry get away with something like that. Harry spun around to face him, emerald eyes burning with anger.

"What** I** did to **her**?" He all but screamed, but Lee stayed silent, letting Harry continue in his tirade. "So I'm the bad guy? We should all overlook the fact that Usagi blatantly lied because she's having a pity-party? You think it's wrong for me to be upset after finding out that she's been lying to me the whole time I've known her?" Harry stopped; the anger in Lee's eyes told him he'd said quite enough for now. Regardless, Lee rose out of the chair to face Harry at eye level.

"Give me a break, Harry! Were you even listening when she told you the story of how her friends died? Do you even care? Stop thinking about yourself for a moment and consider the fact that maybe, just _maybe_, she had more going on in her life than her friendship with you. And don't even try to pretend that you're honest with everyone all the time. Do you tell Ron or Hermione all the things that you remember about your parents, or how you felt when you came face to face with You-Know-Who?" Lee stopped, realizing that he was yelling and took a moment to breathe. Harry didn't say anything as he considered what Lee had said. There were some things that he didn't tell Ron and Hermione...that he probably never would, but...

"Bloody hell, Harry. You knew, you _knew _that she'd tried to commit suicide more than once before. Hell, we both saw her pull a knife on herself when she was in that weird trance thing. What would you have done if she'd gone through with it last night, Harry? She does care for you as a friend, not just as someone she's supposed to be protecting, you know. She feels terrible that she lied to you and that she hurt your feelings. She's a good person, and she shouldn't have to hear any different, especially from someone who is supposed to be her friend. Why don't you think about that for a while?" Lee ended his 'talk' and waited for Harry's response. The black-haired boy didn't move to speak, so Lee walked past him and out of the common room, intent on being anywhere but with Harry.

* * *

"Helios, pay attention," Usagi said, bringing said Pegasus out of his daydream. Helios blinked, his reddish eyes filling with guilt as he surveyed Usagi's anxious expression.

"I'm sorry, Usagi, what did you say?" He asked.

"I said: I think I ruined the mission. Harry hates me." Usagi repeated quietly.

"Well what happened?" Helios inquired, looking quite confused.

"He found out about everything, Helios. What really happened to the senshi, why I came to Hogwarts, everything. He was...upset, that I lied to him. I don't know what to do." Usagi swallowed, her voice thick with emotion. She looked around the library and briefly wondered why she'd chosen this spot to talk to Helios. There were groups of students scattered sporadically across the room, tables chaotically stacked with books and parchment. Apparently some of the Hogwarts attendees wanted to pass their exams, something that Usagi hadn't found the time for.

'_I wonder if Hermione would help me study..._' Usagi wondered suddenly, remembering that her brunette room mate was quite the brain. She shifted her eyes back towards Helios, but the boy had drifted off again and wasn't going to respond any time soon.

"Do you know where Luna is?" She sighed. Helios jumped and looked at her with a guilty expression identical to the one he'd shown a few minutes ago.

"Um...she said something about Veela, I don't know what she was talking about. She should be back in a few days." He responded slowly.

"Alright, I don't want to hold up your date with Fleur any longer, you can go now." Usagi said with a sly smile, effectively making Helios blush.

"It's not a date!" He replied indignantly.

"Whatever, just go so you aren't late!" Usagi prompted, grinning broadly at her friend's scarlet cheeks. She dragged him out of his seat and begin to push him towards the door.

"Alright! I'm going!" Helios cried, turning redder as the people in the library begin to stare, most glad to have a distraction from their rigorous studying. Usagi still held her lighthearted grin, and Helios was glad to see it after the somber look she'd walked in with. He turned and rushed off down the hallway to prevent being bowled over by the enthusiastic blonde. As she watched her silver-haired friend leave, her smile faded.

She couldn't erase her argument with Harry that had taken place the day before. Being someone's friend had never been so complicated, especially for her, and she had no one idea how to fix it. Whenever she seen him, he would look the other way. Whenever she tried ot approach him, he quickly avoided her and rushed off in the other direction. His adolescent mood swings were worse than her own, and that was saying quite a lot.

Shaking her head to erase her thoughts, she looked around and realized that she'd subconsciously been walking towards the Gryffindor common room. Shrugging, she figured she finish the trip since she really hadn't nothing else to do for the moment, and maybe the twins would be there to cheer her up. Sadly, the Weasleys were no where to be found, so she shuffled up towards her dormitory to see if maybe Luna had returned from whatever strange Veela research she was doing. Usagi really didn't see any point to worrying about the relationship between the Lunarians and the Veela, because it didn't seem very relavent.

"Oh my god, what is all this?" Usagi exclaimed as soon as she crossed the threshhold to the girls' dormitory. Unopened letters and shreds of what used to be unopened letters littered most of the floor in a completely pandemonious fashion. The source of this letter zoo stood next to one of the four-poster beds with very flushed cheeks, still mangling every envelope she could get her hands on until she couldn't rip it anymore. "Hermione? What's wrong?"

"Oh!" Hermione looked up at her, startled. Her hands slackened, and the half-ripped ripped letter in her hands drifted to the floor like poorly molded snowflakes. Usagi stared at the piles of paper to the brunette girl in mild shock.

"I'm sorry, I'll clean it up." Hermione said, quickly fishing in her robes for her wand. Usagi shook her head.

"I'm not worried about that, I just wondered why you were going crazy on these letters." The blonde replied, gesturing towards the mess to emphasize her point. Hermione flushed deeper and looked down at the letter half-heartedly.

"It's all that terrible Rita Skeeter lady's fault. She wrote an article about me and Harry and Viktor Krum supposedly being in some love triange. It's all hate mail from Harry Potter fans saying that I should stay away from him." She sighed with frustration and fell dully onto her four-poster bed, the paper littered across it crinkling under her weight. Usagi bent down, dug for a letter that hand't been mutilated, and opened it only to read: '_Stay away from Harry Potter, you filthy mudblood, or else. He's way out of your league._'

The blonde almost outwardly winced at the harshness compacted into those two short sentences. She looked up at the bushy-haired girl sympathetically. Tears were collected in her eyes, and she was furiously trying to blink them away.

"It's not as if I really like Harry that way, it's just kind of degrading I guess." She said slowly. Usagi looked down at the letter in her hands as she tried to think of something to say. No words came, but she did get an idea.

"I suppose we should finish what you started then." She declared, gripping the letter in her hands and tearing it in half. Smacking the two halves together, she ripped them again, and again, until all she had were a dozen awkward looking circles. Grinning, she tossed them into the air above her and watched the gravity carry them to the floor. Hermione was staring at her strangely the whole time. Blue eyes shimmering, Usagi said, "They made splendid confetti."

Hermione chuckled, and then began to giggle, and Usagi joined in. They both dropped to their knees on the common room floor, ripping and tearing every piece of parchment they could find, and then throwing into the air. All while laughing hysterically, though they didn't know what they were laughing at anymore. It all seemed quite silly. That's how Lavender Brown found them, throwing shards of paper and laughing like a couple of hyenas. She didn't even consider retreiving the book she'd come for and quickly exited, wondering what had come over the two girls.

* * *

Usagi lowered her head towards her plate and sighed lowly. It was Easter, and almost everyone around her had packages full of goodies they were digging through. Some people were even swapping sweets, but it wasn't the lack of an Easter gift that was getting to the blonde girl, because she really didn't mind. All she could thik about was her previous Easter, when she had attempted to bake a batch of bunny shaped cakes for Mamoru, with the help of Makoto.

Surprisingly, she had managed to make a decent dessert, by some divine miracle no doubt. Although Makoto's still put her own to shame, they were only mildly burnt and tasted very close to what a cake is supposed to taste like. She was extremely proud of her success, and was extra happy because Rei had added too much sugar to hers and they actually tasted worse than her own. Afterwards, she delivered the goodies to Mamoru and they ate them together with mugs of hot chocolate. He'd complimented them and said she was growing into a mature young woman, and though it was an odd thing to say, it had made her very happy.

Now it was just a fond memory, but it brought her more joy than sadness. She jumped back into the present time, however, when she felt herself being tugged under the table. Oh boy.

"Is this the only way we communicate privately now or what?" Usagi asked, trying to act annoyed, but the grin on her lips suggested otherwise. Lee grinned back at her and shrugged. Something in the back of her mind was trying to make her feel awkward, since the last moment she'd spent with Lee had been that kiss, but Lee's completely carefree attitude didn't leave her any room to feel uncomfortable about it.

"Pretty much. You like chocolate, right?" He asked. Usagi's eyes lit up.

"About as much as Fred and George like playing pranks on people." She responded, and they both laughed. Lee produced a huge slab of chocolate from seemingly nowhere and dropped it right into usagi's lap. She stared at it in shock.

"Happy Easter, then." He said.

"I can't accept this, I didn't get you anythign in return." Usagi protested trying to hand the gift back to him. Lee pushed it back at her stubbornly.

"It's a gift, and I didn't ask for anything in return, did I?" He said flatly.

"Well no, but..." Usagi trailed.

"It's no big deal, just take it. A 'thank you' would be nice too." Lee added with a grin. Usagi grinned broadly and enveloped him in a hug that bowled him over, sending him crashing into someone's legs.

"Thank you." She laughed. Fred leaned over to stare down at them.

"Oi, Lee, Usagi. Stop doing the nasty under the table, people are trying to eat up here. not to mention you almost broke my legs." He complained. They both went a brilliant shade of crimson, and Fred burst out laughing. George, who had heard his brother's not-so-quiet comment, also began laughing, and Usagi and Lee joined in as well, though both were still rather red. The two rejoined their classmates at the table, Usagi holding her chocolate securely in her lap, and feeling indefinitely happier in the prescence of Lee and the twins.

* * *

It hit almost like a bolt of lightning, completely out of the blue. Usagi mentally kicked herself and wondered how she could've let something so important slip her mind for such a long period of time and jumped up from her perch on the common room couch, where she had been getting study help from Lee since exams were just around the corner and she was extremely behind. Said boy jumped in a startled fashion and looked up at Usagi with a surprised expression.

"Wow, I didn't think bubotubers were that exciting." He mused. Usagi rolled her eyes.

"Don't be stupid, I just remembered something." She replied with exasperation, only succeeding in making Lee chuckle with amusement. Her eyes grew serious, and she sprinted for the staircase leading to her dormitory. Hesitantly, Lee followed her, not really sure if he should be or even what the whole thing was about. Truthfully, he was a little hesitant to leave Usagi by herself, even though he really didn't expect her to do anything towards harming herself. It was just an uneasiness

When he entered the room behind her, she had already dove for her trunk full of belongings and opened it. After only a few moments of digging she came up with a triumphant 'aha!', holding a small, gift-wrapped package in her hand with a letter attached. She paused, apprehensive towards opening the letter. She didn't know what to expect, because the reply to her letter that she sent to her parents could hold any range of things, from anger to betrayal. Truthfully, she wouldn't blame her parents for hating her after all she'd put them through over the past year.

"Well?" Lee questioned, wondering why they blonde hadn't moved over the span of the past two minutes. Usagi looked over at Lee, startled.

"Oh, right." She said sheepishly, detaching the letter and slitting the muggle-style envelope open messily with her finger. She pulled out the pages of notebook paper, folded neatly into their holster, and unfolded them. She sat down on the bed to read it, and Lee sat on Hermione's bed to simply wait.

_Dearest Usagi,_

_You can't imagine how surprised and relieved I was to receive your letter. I knew you were still alive dear, somehow I knew. I'm so glad that you're alright, and that you're making friends again. As your mother, I only want your happiness, and I'm not angry with you for running away. Slightly hurt, yes, but I understand, and I certainly don't hate you. Your father and I love you so much, and nothing can change that. _

_It's quite lonely around here without you. Your father doesn't talk much, but I know he misses you terribly, as I do. Don't think for one minute that you're a bad daughter, because you aren't. I know that you've been trying to get through some pretty hard things on top of what happened with your brother, but just try to understand that we don't blame you for anything that happened and we both love you unconditionally. At your request, we won't try to find you, but I'm begging you to come visit us this summer. I won't ask you to stay, I just need to see you again, to know that you're okay._

_Love,_

_Your mother and Father, who will always love you_

Though the pages were already stained with dried tear spots, no doubt from her mother, Usagi couldn't stop her tears from joining them. Leave it to a mother to be so completely caring and forgiving, so much so that Usagi felt ashamed for doing so much to hurt her. She folded the letter and held it close to her chest, bowing her head.

"I love you too, mom." She whispered, so low that Lee couldn't hear her, but he was looking on with worry.

"Um...are you okay, Usagi?" He asked, moving over to the spot next to her. She sniffled and nodded, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her robes.

"I'm perfectly fine, Lee." She said with assurance, handling the gift in her hands now. She slowly unwrapped it, careful not to even rip the paper. Once the wrapping was shed, she opened the bow within and her eyes widened. It was a bracelet, a charm bracelet.She lifted it and spread it into her palm, examining each charm carefully.The first was a simple moonstone, and Usagi knew that it was meant to refer to her birthday, because her birthstone was the moonstone. The next was a rabbit, and Usagi recalled her mother telling her that she'd named her Usagi because she absolutely loved rabbits.

Usagi spent at least five minutes just looking at the charms and connecting them to moments in her life. She soon realized, however, that she was being incredibly rude to Lee by ignoring him.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry Lee, you must be--" She stopped, realizing that Lee had dozed off with his chin in his hands. She shook him awake. "Hey! Wake up!"

"Oh, um, I wasn't sleeping." Lee said quickly, blinking himself awake.

"Really? You were just resting your eyes then?" Usagi asked skeptically.

"Of course." Lee grinned.

"Oh come on, let's go finish studying." Usagi said, laughing and dragging him downstairs with her. Lee halted her about half way down, and she turned towards him with a confused demeanor.

"Wait a minute, you aren't going to tell me what all that was about?" He asked. Usagi smiled lightly.

"That was my mom telling me it was okay to come home." She said brightly. "Oh, and that reminds me...though I'm not sure why. It doesn't really have anything to do with that..."

"What?" Lee inquired, intent on stopping the blonde before she got going. Usagi grinned and stood on her tiptoes, providing she was one step lower than Lee, and brought there lips together. His breathe caught in his throat, and she pulled away just as quickly.

"Happy Easter," and she skipped the rest of the way down the stairs.

* * *

La la la la. has made a few changes since last posted chapter, so I'm kind of edgy. Plus, I'm stuck using WordPad so there is no spellcheck. I'll fix it up the best I can in QuickEdit, but you can expect a few errors throughout the chapter. Not much to say, except the people who want me to change the pairing specifically because they want it that way are getting on my nerves a little, but I'll live.

I kept putting the whole letter thing off way too long, it's EASTER now, she got it at Christmas. I'm a ditz. Anways, I hope you enjoyed, and I'm almost there. The third task should start...next chapter hopefully. See you then!

I think I've pushed some people away from the story by making it Lee/Usagi. Sorry dears, but I'm grounded on the decision and the couple is not changing, under ANY circumstances, so if you have a serious issue with it then stop reading the story. It's that simple. Am I too bothered by this? lol

-SachiNyoko- "I love you like a fat kid loves cake" (50 cent)


	18. Dream

"...I will dim the lights." Usagi jumped almost clear off her seat as the lights went out. The flickering of the fire, being the only source of light in the small Divination classroom, enthralled her momentarily, but she quickly shook off the trance as Professor Trelawney launched into an explanation of Mars' current position in the universe. Usagi easily tuned the meanderings out and focused her attention elsewhere in the room.

Harry, she knew, was still upset with her. Though she'd been sure he would have cooled down by now, he seemed to be holding the grudge longer than anticipated. Helios, too, had been avoiding her ever since she'd met up with him in the library. Apparently he didn't know what to do either and couldn't break the news.

Currently, the emerald-eyed hero was snoozing with his head on the windowsill, mouth twitching every few seconds. She momentarily envied his position away from the intoxicating fumes the hovered over the class, but soon let go of the jealousy when she realized that he was suffering from a nightmare, a nightmare that seemed to be getting worse.

Suddenly, Usagi jolted upward from her seat, causing it to topple over. A deep tingling sensation ran through her spine and she shivered. Her mind seemed to split in pain as images flashed through her mind. '_Blood, everywhere, and oh so much death. Scarlet smeared on the sidewalks and the streets, but worst of all on her hands and her arms and her torso. All over her, even in her hair, was blood and vomit that she couldn't contain after witnessing such a massacre. Blood red eyes, eyes the same color as the sticky liquid that stained everything around her._'

"Dearest Princess, do you really think you can defend Harry Potter? Why, you couldn't even protect your friends." The voice, low and seething like a serpent, mocked her. She was in a room, dark and musty that looked like it hadn't been occupied until very recently, with wooden floors, a single lounge chair facing away from her, a burning fireplace and a large snake curled up on the floor. There was a bundle that resembled a man huddled in the corner, sobbing, but she paid no heed to him, her eyes fixed on the cushioned chair.

"What makes you suffer so, Serenity, that you would surrender your body to me and let me kill you so easily?" He chuckled, and Usagi groaned as her brain cracked open again, and images of herself trying to fight off Lee and Harry in the girls' dormitories flashed through her mind, trying to get her hungry hands on the knife once more. Another memory of her talking to Lee in a similar state, and then her eyes found the room once more.

"That was you." She said in disbelief. He laughed a high-pitched, sinister laugh that could not resemble mirth in any sense of the word. Usagi shivered despite herself, but she held her ground firmly.

"Well, yes and no. I did control your actions, Princess, but only because you let me. I'd venture to say you begged me to take you, because you were hurting so much there." Usagi cried out in pain as she felt her heart constrict tightly, and she dropped to her knees. It subsided quickly, and she gulped oxygen into her lungs while he laughed again.

"You're so weak, Princess, and so is Harry Potter. Both of you are so pathetic and easily manipulated. It's sad to think that the whole wizarding world is depending on that wretched boy to save them all, when he cannot even save himself.

"The same goes for you. The whole world depended on Sailor Moon to ward off evil, and then what happens? You let them down! So will Harry, Princess, just you wait. There is no hope for your pitiable world, because heroes are easily broken." He cackled with pure glee. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she gulped them down.

"You're wrong. I will defeat you, even if it takes my life. Harry is stronger than you think, and I am too. YOU'RE WRONG!" She screamed at the back of the chair.

"Such words of bravado, but only wasted breath. Even as you speak you're proving my point. This is just a warning, Princess. I'm coming for you, and I will finish what I started." The chair turned. The last thing she saw before she blacked out screaming were one fiery set of blood-red eyes.

* * *

"Usagi!" She automatically shot into alertness, but found she couldn't move at all because some unknown force was holding her down. She screamed and struggled against the bondage, her eyes blurred past distinguished vision. She felt hands on each side of her face, and she tried to jerk her head away, but it was held firmly in place.

"Usagi stop." The voice said feebly, and she almost felt herself crash back down to earth. She opened her eyes wide until she could see the familiar curtains of the hospital wing around her bed, the form of Madam Pomfrey off to the side with her wand out, some sort of golden rope coming from it, and the worried eyes of Lee staring back at her.

"He...he's going to kill me and Harry both." She croaked with her voice raw and scratchy. Madam Pomfrey flicked her wand and the rope disappeared. Her limbs free, Usagi sat up and swung her legs over the side of the infirmary bed. Lee halted her before she could go any further.

"Whoa now, what on earth are you talking about?" He questioned, but Usagi shrugged him off and tried to get up again.

"I have to talk to Harry, Lee, this is really important." She protested, only to be pulled down again.

"So is your health and until I know what happened to you I don't want you running around after _him_, of all people." Lee said flatly. Usagi opened her mouth to make an angry comment, but Madam Pomfrey cut her off, apparently tired of being the spectator.

"The boy's quite right, you don't need to go anywhere at the moment. What happened to you?" The nurse asked sternly. Usagi looked from Lee's face to Madam Pomfrey's and sighed in defeat.

"I don't know. I got this really weird tingling feeling while I was sitting in Divination, and then it felt like my whole head had just been sawed in half. Memories played through my head and when I got back to normal, I..." She paused, looked up at the nurse, and then over at Lee apprehensively. "I woke up here. It must have been some kind of nightmare or something." She finished lamely.

"Usagi—

"But anyways, I really have to find Harry right now so if Lee goes with me than I should be fine and I'll come straight back, alright?" Usagi paused briefly, looked at Madam Pomfrey expectantly, and then continued. "Great, thank you so much. Come on Lee." The blonde latched onto Lee's arm and dragged him out of the room with her before Madam Pomfrey could get a word in edgewise. They were well down the hall before Lee came to his senses and stopped her.

"Hey now, I know you made up that story back there. Tell me what really happened." Lee insisted.

"Sorry, I just didn't want to spill to Madam Pomfrey and cause any uproar. After the whole memory thing, I came to in this really strange room. There was a huge snake curled up on the floor with a chair sitting next to it and some other guy blubbering in the corner. Voldemort was in that chair, Lee. He said that he took over me during all those trance things, and he said that he was going to kill me and Harry." Her eyes were glassy with tears at this point but she tried to blink them away.

"He said I was weak, and I know that he's right. I couldn't protect my friends from him and I can't protect Harry from him either."

"Whoa now, backtrack, you're falling right into his trap." Lee interrupted. "This is exactly what he wanted you to do, right? Convince yourself that you couldn't win so he'd have the advantage. You're stronger than you think you are, he's just trying to play mind games."

"Th-that's what I told him, but--" Usagi began, wiping tersely at her eyes.

"But nothing, now do you _really_ have to find Harry?" Lee asked with a frown. Usagi blinked, momentarily confused, and then raised an eyebrow.

"Why all the hostility towards Harry," She asked.

"Let's just say we had a disagreement. Now, do you really have to find him or not?" Lee went on.

"Um...yes, I do, it's really important." Usagi nodded, shaking off Lee's blatant grudge towards the boy in question. Lee sighed.

"Fine, we'll find him then."

* * *

"Um...Harry." Usagi said quietly, tapping said boy on the shoulder. He jumped and turned to face her, green eyes wide with shock. The shock quickly evolved into confusion.

"What do you want?" He asked curtly. Usagi bit down on her bottom lip as she felt the eyes of Hermione and Ron on her as well as Harry's. Her hands tangled together behind her back as she looked at the floor. This deep feeling of discomfort in the presence of someone she knew well was very foreign to her, and she didn't like it at all, nor did she know what to do.

"I need to talk to you. Alone." She added, glancing over at Lee. His arms were crossed and he was frowning, almost scowling. She smiled apologetically and turned back to Harry for an answer. The black-haired boy blinked several times, as though caught off guard, and slowly nodded.

"Okay." He said, and then blinked again like he was just as disoriented as the blonde before him. After several minutes of staring, he realized that he should've been off the couch already and sprang to his feet. The two looked at each other again before Usagi took the initiative to head out of the Gryffindor commons, leaving Harry to follow behind her. Harry shared a heated glance with Lee before he did so, and the two didn't stop until they'd gotten well away from their starting point.

Slowly, Usagi turned on her heel and faced Harry head on. He was surprised by the fear and confusion they held as they traveled over his face. Realizing the awkward silence around them, Usagi cleared her throat and decided to initiate the conversation.

"Um...look Harry, I'm sorry." She began, taking a deep breath. Already her throat tightened with emotion, this was getting more difficult by the second.

"If that's all you have to say then I don't want to hear it." Harry snapped, moving to leave.

"Harry wait! Just listen to me, please, for a few minutes. This is hard." Her voice cracked, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. The stress of it all broke through her emotional barriers and the tears spilled down her cheeks. Harry gulped; he didn't expect a breakdown. "I didn't mean it, Harry. I did come to Hogwarts because I was told to protect you. I did keep it a secret from you all this time. I told you about me, Harry, everything that I've been hiding from the world, from my parents, and from just about everybody. It wasn't easy to tell the story of all my friends dying all over again, to relive it, but I did. You know that my protectors were bound by a contract of loyalty to the throne to protect me with their lives too, but that's not why they stayed by my side through so many battles. They did it because they were my friends, my best friends, and it's the same with me and you.

"I didn't become your friend because I had to, I became your friend because I wanted to. I will protect you and I will fight Voldemort with you, because you're my friend and I care about you whether you like it or not." Usagi stopped. Chest heaving, she felt sure that her heart would beat out of her at any moment. Dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve, she didn't even dare spare a glance towards Harry. He could've walked away by now and she wouldn't know. Even her knees trembled beneath her as she waited, hoping for forgiveness.

"It wasn't your fault." The murmured words came so quietly that Usagi barely heard them over the ringing in her ears. Once they registered, her breathing stopped and she looked up at Harry with her wide blue eyes. "I mean, I overreacted and, um, I'm sorry for being such a prat and all." He continued, looking rather nervous himself.

"You're serious?" Usagi questioned slowly, not sure what to think. He'd completely snuffed her earlier and now he was apologizing? Harry smiled a sideways sort of grin and nodded.

"Serious as a heart attack." He said, and Usagi rolled her eyes.

"How clever of you," She laughed. Harry laughed with her, and they both breathed an inward sigh of relief that the whole escapade of apologizing to each other was over. After a moment of laughter, Usagi suddenly remembered why she'd wanted to find Harry in the first place. Sometimes she thought her mind was slipping away from her.

"Harry, er, I wanted to ask you something else. I had this weird dream thing and I was wondering if maybe you had a similar one." Usagi explained, though not very well as Harry raised his eyebrows with absolutely no grasp on what she meant. "Voldemort was in it." Then suddenly, the memory of the dream he'd had in Divination came back to him and with it the follow up of waking to Usagi's screams as she passed out on the classroom floor.

"You had the same dream?" He asked grimly, looking anxious.

"Well, not the same exact I'm sure, because he was speaking directly to me. There was this huge snake on the floor and some guy crying in the corner." Usagi elaborated, trying to express the dream the best she could.

"Nagini and Wormtail," Harry almost gasped, his eyes widening considerably. Usagi blinked, and then shrugged, not really sure whether this was true or not. Voldemort never mentioned the two while they were conversing, and she'd forgotten about them almost instantly once the dark lord started talking to her. "He didn't talk to me at all, but right before I woke up he said 'she's coming now'. I'm guessing he meant you?"

"I guess so. It's kind of scary; I'm worried about you participating in the third task. It seems like the perfect time and place for something to go wrong." Usagi said apprehensively.

"I don't see how they could pull of anything during such an event, especially right under Dumbledore's nose." Harry replied. Usagi stilled looked incredulous.

"I would've agreed with you at the beginning of the year, before some unknown bewitched the Goblet into entering you in the tournament right under Dumbledore's nose. He's a wise and powerful wizard, but he isn't all-knowing." Usagi argued. "All I'm saying is try to be careful. You know, like Moody would say, 'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!'" Harry jumped as she shouted, and she burst out laughing. He grinned and shook his head.

"Alright, but I still think you're worried over nothing." He said.

"We shall see."

* * *

Well, well... given this chapter is short, but it's leading up to next chapter which will be the final chapter, unless I write an epilogue or something. That's right, it's the THIRD TASK! -dun dun dun- Okay, I'm a loser.

-stares at the review count starry eyed- Almost broke 300, I'm so excited. Squee! Review!

-SachiNyoko- "Can he come with us?" "I don't know; Cartman is still grounded for trying to exterminate the Jews last week." (South Park)


	19. Breaking Point, Part 1

"Hey Usagi, did Luna ever tell you about Veela?" Fleur questioned. The two blondes were lounging in the library, talking on about nothing at all. Usagi cocked an eyebrow at her friend as she shook her head. As she though about it, she realized she hadn't seen the black feline in quite a while.

"Well, Veela in their true forms aren't very attractive. They resemble the ugliest of monsters. They change into beautiful, human-like creatures and use their dance to ensnare men. The men they seduce are driven to do the most outrages things trying to impress them."

"You know, that reminds me of the Sirens in Greek mythology, only they killed their victims." Usagi mused, thinking back to English lessons she'd received about Homer's Odyssey. Greek mythology was one of the few things in school that ever interesting her. She remembered Odysseus being tied to the mast by his crew mates so he could hear the Siren's song without being drawn in to his death.

"What most people don't know is that Veela can also use their singing voice in the same manner as the dance to capture their victims." Fleur went on, not really sure what Siren was or how to respond to Usagi's statement. The blonde looked over with sudden interest.

"Really? So if I were to sing, I could drive men insane?" She asked, laughing as she said it. Fleur laughed with her.

"Yes, actually, if that was what you were intending to do. You'd have to want to for it to work, you understand?"

"I think so," Usagi nodded, still grinning. "So, I hear you and Helios have another date." As her friend's pale complexion flushed a deep scarlet, she burst out laughing. Poking fun at her friends never got old.

* * *

Usagi sighed to herself, staring down at the darkened grounds of Hogwarts. Her conversation with Harry several days before was fresh on her mind, as well as the follow up they both had with Ron and Hermione. Voldemort, the name meant nothing to her before her Hogwarts school year started, and now...she was terrified. Honestly, she'd rather go another round with Chaos than face the man that had caused so much pain for her, for Harry, for the entire wizarding world. 

That's how she knew he spoke true when he'd said she wasn't strong enough. All the faith Queen Serenity had in her, that Lee and Harry had in her, all added up to nothing in the end. '_I may be Sailor Moon, or the Moon Princess, or whoever else, but I'm still just a teenager._' Even so, she knew she would fight no matter what. Her beloved senshi, her Mamoru, and her brother all died at the hands of Voldemort, she wouldn't forget that.

Before now she thought that being Sailor Moon was hard, but being Harry Potter must be so much harder. She couldn't fathom growing up without her parents or Shingo, not having someone who really loves you through your childhood. The strength to become a superhero wouldn't have existed without such loving support throughout her life. The strength of her friends was the only thing that enabled her to triumph over the evil beings that she had. The thought of fighting alone made her shudder, as Harry was expected to do.

'_No, I won't let him fight alone. There's no way you can win alone. We'll fight together._' Thinking back now, Usagi couldn't blame Harry for anything. She'd never really thought about how hard it must be to have so many expectations laid on your back; to have everyone anticipate you being a hero that stops a great evil when you don't know how in the first place. All the stares from people just passing by, and a scar to remind you of everything you've lost along the way.

Being Sailor Moon, no one in Japan knew that Usagi Tsukino was the same person. Could she have dealt with people staring at her as she went to school or the arcade? Could she have carried the cross of everyone's hope on her back when she fought with Chaos? Harry's burden outweighed her own, and she knew that now.

Yet, despite this, all she ever did was complain about how bad she had it. She must have sounded foolish to him, talking about the difficulty of being Sailor Moon. Losing her loved ones and attempting suicide because of it must have seemed so weak to someone who never knew his parents.

"Usa, why are you crying?" Usagi jumped at the soft voice in her ear. Was she crying? Her hands reached up to her face, and the moisture at her fingertips confirmed it. She hadn't even realized...

"I don't know." The blonde faced the intrusion on her privacy, "What are you doing up?"

"I was going to go to the kitchens for a snack," Lee grinned sheepishly at her, and she couldn't hold the smile that tugged her lips. Turning back to the window, she stared down at the darkness of the Forbidden Forest and thought about how they ever hoped to defeat Voldemort. "You know, when you worry like that it makes me worry, and I usually don't worry."

"I'm scared." She never thought a hug could be so comforting, but when Lee's arms wrapped around her she felt a little safer. She leaned into him and, for the moment, let go of all the things weighing on her mind.

"It's okay to be scared, right?"

"Right."

* * *

"We're going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," Professor McGonagall moved her stern gaze over each champion as she spoke. The four teenagers were trying feebly to hide their nerves. Usagi stood beside the intimidating woman, her spaced out gaze focused on the maze entrance. Her normally cheerful expression was extraordinarily solemn. "If you get into difficulty and wished to be rescued, send red sparks into the air and one of us will come and get you, understand?" 

Each of the four nodded almost simultaneously as the filled stadium erupted in cheers. A wave of nausea hit Usagi as she looked at the ecstatic students of Hogwarts, jittery with anticipation. Did everyone really expect the tournament to end with the winner hoisting their trophy and grinning? Maybe she was just being paranoid. She eased herself down in a chair and watched as the ceremonies begun.

Ludo Bagman announced the current point standings, whistling Harry and Cedric into the maze. As her dark-haired friend disappeared into the foliage, she was possessed by the urge to run after him. Knowing she couldn't, she sent Fleur a reassuring smile before the blonde entered as the final champion. Everything she'd been dreading came down to this moment, a torturous waiting game.

The minutes crawled by sluggishly, Usagi trying to burn through the maze with her steady gaze. There had been no red sparks as of yet and the crowds were conversing anxiously, irking the blonde girl to no end. Didn't they realize how dangerous this whole thing was?

"Is there something on your mind?" Usagi looked over at the speaker with something akin to boredom. Albus Dumbledore smiled down at her, the stadium lights twinkling against his half-moon spectacles. Though she'd intended to reply, she never got to it. A muffled scream echoed through the maze walls, blanking out all of her thoughts. The femininity of the scream was definite.

"Fleur!" Usagi lurched forward, towards the maze entrance, but Dumbledore gripped her arm and pulled her back. She struggled against him but the old man's grip was abnormally strong. The twinkling had gone from his eyes as he frowned down at her.

"You can't enter the maze," he said sternly. Usagi's face contorted in an angry expression that didn't suit her smooth features at all. Her blue eyes blazed as she glared at the headmaster of Hogwarts.

"I need to help Fleur! What if she's hurt?" She yelled indignantly, fighting to get her arm free as hard as she could. Dumbledore didn't budge, and his grip tightened as another yell rang around them. This one was definitely male, and her head swam as she realized it could be Harry.

"If someone is in danger, they'll send up sparks. You aren't allowed to enter," The silver-haired man repeated, employing his other hand to make sure the blonde didn't squirm from his hold. The crowds nearest to the duo had caught sight of the struggle and began to watch in stupefied awe.

"This is all some sick game to you, isn't it? People could be hurt or in serious danger and you're exploiting all this for entertainment. Two of my best friends are in there! I won't stand by and let them get killed for your stupid tournament!" Usagi was disoriented. She didn't sense the silent crowd staring at them, the tears of frustration in her eyes, or the fact that she'd reverted to her native tongue of Japanese. All that registered was the collective gasp as red sparks exploded in the sky.

Her heart skipped several beats and she choked on her own air. She went into a coughing fit, Dumbledore finally releasing his grip as she slid to her knees with her hands around her neck. The more she tried to get a grip on herself, the worse her cough became, until she was floundering for air. The crowd was dead silent; apparently the danger had just sunk in. '_Harry and Fleur are hurt._'

"It's Krum!" Someone shouted, and her blue eyes snapped upwards instantaneously. Two teachers were carrying the bushy-eyebrow, somber boy from the maze and he was clearly unconscious. As they hauled him away on a stretcher, her limbs went weak with relief. She sat on all fours, breathing heavily and staring into the grass below her.

Her face flushed as she looked back up at the maze, refusing to connect gazes with Dumbledore. Harry and Fleur were fine. Maybe Fleur had seen something that spooked her and she screamed. It was probably just a spider or something, and she screamed. No one was hurt after all.

Another gasp rippled through the crowd and Usagi immediately scrutinized the night sky for an expected shower of red sparks. Instead she found herself temporarily blinded by the glare of white wings. Helios galloped to a halt in front of her as she pulled herself to her feet. The lights in the Quidditch pitch made the white horse shimmer majestically and for a moment, she was as awed as everyone else in the stands.

Helios' red eyes flickered with annoyance at her silence, and he nudged her cheek with his muzzle. Usagi blinked a few times before she returned to reality, smiling up at her friend apologetically. He fluttered his wings and connected eyes with her. Something was wrong.

'_Hurry, come with me._' He instructed, dipping his neck lower so she could climb onto his back. Sensing the urgency of the situation, she draped her arms around his neck and slung a leg over his back. With some awkward maneuvering she managed to haul herself onto the winged-horse's back. No words spoken, Helios stretched his wings and took flight. The whole stadium stood in silent awe as the horse disappeared into the night, Usagi clinging to its neck desperately so not to fall off.

"Helios, what's going on?" She yelled over the wind roaring in her ears. They were traveling an ungodly speed, and the air in her eyes was starting to make her eyes water. She narrowed them as she waited for Helios' answer.

'_Harry is in trouble. The trophy transported him to Voldemort, we have to hurry._' The blonde's whole body tensed up. She'd been right all along, the tournament was rigged, and now Harry was in danger. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest as it hit her. She'd have to face Voldemort.

"You know where he is, right Helios?" The winged horse nodded, as well as a horse can, and she silenced. How could she prepare herself for something so big? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She'd sworn to not let Harry fight alone and to remember her fallen friends, there was no backing down anymore.

'_We're here,_' Helios announced. Without slowing his speed, he swooped down towards land. Usagi nearly flew from his back as his hooves met the ground, but she clung to his neck as he galloped to a stop. Once they'd halted, Usagi slid to the grass and stood on shaky legs, finally willing her eyes open.

'_A graveyard, how ominously fitting,_' she thought grimly, drawing in another deep breath. Taking a few steps forward, she looked around for any sign of Harry or the dark lord. Her eyes caught the glimmer of something golden, and she subconsciously moved for it. With a gasp of surprise, she realized it was the Triwizard trophy, and there was a body crumpled beside it.

"Harry!" She breathed, running for the body. It was sickeningly cold as she rolled it over, but the face wasn't that of Harry Potter. It was the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, and he was definitely deceased. She bowed her head sadly as she closed the boy's eyes, withdrawing her hands from the corpse all together. '_Voldemort has stolen another life away._'

A high pitched scream broke through her reverie, but only one thought registered. The voice was nothing alike, it couldn't be Harry. She scrambled to her feet and moved towards the noise, mentally telling Helios to stay put no matter what. This wasn't his fight, after all.

Through the labyrinth of tombstones she could vaguely see a shadow moving around in the dim light of the moon. And then she saw Harry, tied to a large tombstone, and bleeding from his arm. Her mouth went dry as she headed in his direction, ducking behind the structure without being detected by anyone present. Her hands searched the ground, but the only rocks she could find were dull and useless.

Frustrated, she reached for the knot of the ropes and began to struggle with it. Harry, sensing her movements, turned his head in her direction and gasped. She sent him a silencing glare and continued to work at the knot, most of her body still concealed behind the tombstone. Beyond the tombstone she could see the tall, pale form rising from the simmering cauldron, and she pulled her hands out of sight just as Voldemort opened his eyes.

"Robe me," Usagi shivered at the voice she knew so well. The sounds of movement on the other side of the tombstone unnerved her. She snuck a peek at the scene and saw the Dark Lord pacing around, apparently enthralled with his new body. She moved for Harry's knots again as he turned towards the man on the ground, which Usagi vaguely remembered from her dream.

Voldemort spoke to the man about the mark on his arm, but Usagi tuned the voice out. She focused on the ropes, which seemed to tangle more the harder she tried to undo them. The Dark Lord began to speak to Harry, but apparently he didn't see her hands working the knots to the side.

"Serenity, why don't you join us? My family has just arrived." Or maybe he did. The blonde froze as cloaked people began popping up all around them. Her hiding place became completely useless as the wizards formed a circle all around them. She gulped down her fear and moved to the other side of the tombstone to stand beside Harry. Voldemort turned his sharp eyes to the circle of Death Eaters and back to the blonde girl, smirking.

"I smell guilt," he said derisively, turning towards the band of his followers. As he launched into his soapbox about his follower's disloyalty, Usagi immediately went for the ropes. She half expected for the Death Eaters to just blow her away, but no one moved. Shortly, she had the black-haired boy free. As he fell to his knees, she crouched down with him and gave him support so he would completely crumple to the ground. His leg was injured.

"Harry, we have to get out of here," she whispered, and Harry nodded at her. The only problem was the circle of Death Eaters, their only obstacle to escape, and perhaps Harry's apparently injured leg. Usagi dug in her shirt and pulled out her locket. Maybe if she transformed, they could attack and run for their lives. Helios was waiting, and the trophy might be able to take them back to Hogwarts as well.

"Leaving so soon, are we?" The blonde's head snapped up to meet the cold scarlet eyes of Voldemort. "You aren't leaving here, either of you. _Crucio!_" The raised wand wasn't pointed at her, but at Harry. She threw her arms around the stunned boy, protecting him, bracing her self for the curse. The locket around her neck flared to life, emitting a beam of light that expanded around the two teenagers like a bubble.

After several seconds, it disappeared, and Usagi pulled away from Harry disoriented. What just happened? Apparently Voldemort didn't know either by the wide eyes and flared nostrils he was displaying. He scowled and turned towards the man from before, pointing directly at Usagi.

"Wormtail, tie her up and get the necklace. Give the boy his wand back, as well." The small man immediately stepped forward, grabbing Usagi's arm with the silver hand that Voldemort had gifted him with. He yanked on the locket and Usagi felt the chain dig into her neck before it snapped. Harry tried to help, but Wormtail kicked him in his injured leg and he immediately caved.

The grip on her arm was cutting off her circulation. There was no way she could get out of it, she knew that, but she struggled and kicked and scratched at the man for all she was worth. Soon, however, she found herself bound to the tombstone exactly as Harry had been moments before. Wormtail shoved Harry's wand at him and resumed his place in the circle of Death Eaters.

"You've been taught how to duel, right Harry Potter?" Voldemort almost cooed, smirking as he looked at the necklace in his hands. He tossed it to the side like a piece of trash, and bowed ever so slightly. "We bow, firstly."

The black-haired boy had risen to his feet, wincing as his weight was placed on his sore leg. The wand in his hand was trained on Voldemort, but the shaking hand holding it didn't seem very confident. "I said to bow."

As Harry's spine forcibly bent into a bow, the Death Eaters burst into hearty laughter. Usagi scowled and fought against her bonds, knowing it was useless. After all the vows, Harry was left to fight alone anyway. She closed her eyes and scowled. '_I won't let that happen._'

* * *

Hmm...what does little Usagi have planned-grins evilly- I've left you an evil cliffhanger. You know how to get rid of it? Review of course! The lack of updates can be blamed on laziness, Need for Speed Underground 2, Zelda NES version, Texas Hold 'em, and my new fic 'Forever.' 

Other business...if you've been scouring fan fiction for an Ayashi no Ceres crossover, look no further, for I now have one of the very few. It's called 'Forever.' If you've been looking for a good Kingdom Hearts/Sailor Moon, look no further than S. Nestor's "_The Hearts._" It is quite honestly, the **best** KH crossover I've read so far on this site. It's much better than my own, in fact. -sweatdrops- Anyways, she's well deserving of more readers for that story, so go check it out. It's an order! You won't be disappointed.

Now that I've shamelessly advertised, review my story:) Please.

-SachiNyoko- "Do you have your G.E.D.? I got mines:D" (Best T-shirt in the whole world)


	20. Breaking Point, Part 2

As Harry's spine forcibly bent into a bow, the Death Eaters burst into hearty laughter. Usagi fought against her bonds, knowing it was useless. After all the vows, Harry was left to fight alone anyway. She closed her eyes and scowled. '_I won't let that happen._'

Her eyes reopened, searching the battlefield. The forgotten Ginzuishou shone palely among the grass, still sitting in her locket. She called for it, in her mind, but the locket did not move, did not magically float to her aid or untie her ropes. They dug into her skin until her wrists were raw and nearly bleeding, but she pulled on her hands nonetheless. Her hand was scrunched, pained, but she'd almost wriggled free of the ropes.

As she did, her whole arm jerked from the unexpected freedom, and she flexed her numb fingers trying to restore their feeling. Impatiently she worked at her knots, trying to spare her other hand. Her fingers pricked painfully, but the sound of Harry screaming in agony kept them working. Tears pricked her eyes as the raven-haired boy writhed in front of her, under Voldemort's Cruciatus Curse.

Then she was free, and she crumbled before Riddle's tombstone as her shaky legs gave out. The Death Eaters were laughing, at her or at Harry's pain, it didn't matter. Her vision blurred from tears as she stood again.

"Harry!" she screamed, and Voldemort stopped. The faint echoing of Harry's screams still echoed around the graveyard as Usagi lunged forward, trying to break the ring of Death Eaters around the two duelers. The two nearest immediately grabbed her arms and restrained her so no amount of kicking or flailing loosened their hold. Voldemort sneered at her, raising his want toward Harry again.

"Serenity, princess, what a shame. You'll have to see another friend die because of your actions." Harry stood, pressing his weight against his injured leg, and stumbling from the pain. The wall of Death Eaters laughed and pushed him back towards the center, in the line of Voldemort's wand. Usagi screamed and reached toward her locket with all the strength she had, but the men on either side of her held her back with ease.

"Harry, tell me, would you rather die before or after Serenity? Do you want to watch her die, or do you want her to watch you?" Voldemort almost hissed the last word as he smiled, an expression full of malicious intent. The evil did not fade as he watched Harry wobble in front of him, raising his wand. "I asked you a question, Harry. _Imperio!_"

Usagi watched Harry freeze with the spell, his wand arm falling to his side. Her mouth stretched open in a silent scream, nothing but a croak emitting from her throat. The Death Eaters that restrained her laughed as she squirmed. Her mind was reeling, thinking full force, trying to devise a plan. She looked wildly around, at the locket several feet away, the swaying Harry Potter in front of her, and the Triwizard Trophy glinting in the distance.

In her mind's eye she could see Lee, the Weasley twins, Ron and Hermione, Fleur, and everyone she'd met at Hogwarts. All the people that'd given her strength, and Helios waiting for her and Harry to return some ways away, everyone she couldn't let down. '_What most people don't know is_ _that Veela can also use their singing voice in the same manner as the dance to capture their victims._'

The blonde felt sure her heart stopped on her, she completely stopped breathing. Her weight collapsed, and the Death Eaters holding her stumbled under the sudden weight change of their prisoner. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Why the hell didn't she do it before? She was almost upset with herself for being so stupid.

"I WON'T!" Her head lifted, it felt like it weighed twenty pounds. Harry stood rigid in front of the snarling Voldemort. Time slowed as he raised his wand, Harry mimicking, and they both shouted.

"_Expelliarmus!_"

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Usagi wanted to scream, to close her eyes, but could not will herself to blink nor whisper. The flash of green and red that followed simply blinded her, as the spells met in midair, and the explosion burned her retinas. She squinted, but still did not blink, gazing awed at the golden string that lifted her friend and the Dark Lord from the ground by their wands. As they floated, the Death Eaters followed, her restrainers dragging her with them.

Her eyes passed over the locket, and she tried to snag the chain with her shoe, but she just ended up getting her shoe covered in grass and dirt. They stopped in front of the golden web that encircled the two, Death Eaters pounding desperately at the cage-like structure. Usagi could do nothing but stare, her friend now alone with Voldemort, struggling against his bucking wand.

'_Sing._' She parted her lips, trying to draw her lost voice from her vocal chords, but only managed a weak wheeze. The Death Eaters around her paid no heed as the watched the struggle going on inside the golden web. She tried to speak a second time, but her voice was still lost to her.

"Priori Incantatem." The Death Eater on her left arm whispered, causing her brow to furrow. Why did that sound familiar? All of the classes she'd taken at Hogwarts this year were a mere blur, but she was sure she'd heard the phrase before. Lifting her head again, she looked into the dome and seen the gray-like ghost of Cedric Diggory floating towards Harry.

"Hold on, Harry." The other champion said, and then it looked at her, and smiled as if to say thank you. Usagi turned back to the wand as a second figure emerged, one she did not recognize. He looked to be old, leaning heavily on a walking stick, and saying something in undertones to Harry. She couldn't concentrate, for another person was emerging from the Dark Lord's wand already, and it occurred to her then what was happening, and what would happen next.

A mane of dark, messy hair appeared, followed by a set of broad shoulders and a tuxedo-clad torso. Tears flooded her eyes as the ghost-like apparition floated to the edge of the dome, past a confused Harry, and stared straight into Usagi's clouded blue eyes. She couldn't speak, she just cried while the other senshi joined him, smiling down at her from the other side of the dome.

'_Usako, sing._' Usagi choked, trying to talk over her lump in her throat, trying to do as he told.

'_You can do it, Usagi._' The girls chorused. Seeing the blonde struggle, they looked at each other, and nodded. The blonde girl looked up, teary-eyed, as the sailor senshi's voices rang across the graveyard. Quietly, she joined in, until her voice grew to match theirs.

_I hear the voice of my destiny call_

_And I know I must go find my way_

_The hardest part will be leaving you all_

_And I'll miss you much more_

_than words can say_

A silence had fallen over the Death Eaters, their eyes were on her, and though there may have been females among them, it was working. The hands on her arms pulled her upright, and then let go. Someone placed the shimmering golden locket in her palms, but her eyes were closed, and she was still singing.

_I'll be only a memory away_

_If you need me_

_You can call me any time of day_

_And I'll be there, It's OK_

_Only a memory away_

Finally, Usagi peeled her eyes open. Inside the dome, beyond her friends, Harry was listening to another ghost-like person. His father, she soon realized, and he was giving him instructions. The Death Eaters that crowded around her stepped back as she raised her hands against them. The locket in her hands was open, and shining, and she was still singing.

_I'll be only a memory away_

_If you need me_

_You can call me any time of day_

_And I'll be there, It's OK_

_Only a memory away_

Inside the dome, Harry jerked his wand up fiercely, breaking the golden thread that attached it to Voldemort, and the dome disappeared. Her senshi immediately swooped for Voldemort, with his other victims, blocking his view. Harry ran, and grabbed her arm as he ran past, dragging her with him. Startled, her voice was cut off, and the locket in her hand dulled.

In an instant, the previously stupefied Death Eaters snapped out of their stupor. Voldemort was shrieking at them, but they were disoriented, and the spells they sent were terribly off the mark. The two of them dove towards the trophy, falling short but avoiding the spell that flew over them. Harry rolled and grabbed onto Cedric's arm, trying to drag him towards the cup as well. Usagi quickly caught on and she grabbed the other arm.

'_Helios, we need a distraction._' She cried to the winged horse, sensing the enraged Voldemort coming closer. With a loud neighing sound, she saw the blur of white immediately descend upon the group of Death Eaters and Voldemort, knocking some off their feet. Beams of red and green flew towards the Pegasus, but it easily dodged in midair, diving for a second attack.

Meanwhile, Usagi and Harry had almost made it to the trophy, when they heard Voldemort's furious shout. The former looked back, seeing the barrage of attacks heading for Helios that he surely couldn't dodge.

"Helios!" She screamed, the locket around her neck bursting to life once more. A bubble appeared around the winged horse, much like the one that had shielded her and Harry before, and deflected the attacks back down to the scattering Death Eaters. Helios flew off as Usagi turned back to Harry; they both nodded, and grabbed the handles of the trophy at the same time. Just as she felt a tug somewhere behind her navel, a beam of light shot next to her, and connected with the still open golden object in her hand.

* * *

It was unlike him to be so uptight, to be so completely bent out of shape. Even Fred and George were watching him warily, not keen on the idea of getting close to their pacing friend. Leave it to Usagi to just ride away on some Pegasus without so much as a word to him, and then stay gone for hours. Every nerve in his body was shot, so when the flash of color appeared beside him, he whipped his wand out and nearly cursed it. 

"Usagi?" Lee questioned in disbelief, watching as the blonde girl panted on all fours. Dumbledore was beside him, but he didn't care, he knelt down to her side. She wobbled, and then looked up at him. Pulling the locket in her hand to her chest, she moved her mouth to say something, but her voice was gone. She collapsed, limp, onto the grass.

"Usagi? Usagi! Harry, what happened to her?" Lee demanded, turning to the black-haired Gryffindor. He was in enough pain as it was, completely disoriented, and the people crowding around them were shouting, 'Cedric's dead!' Harry was still clutching the boy's dead body, and he peered over at the blonde in confusion.

"We got away, she wasn't hit. I didn't see her get hit." He muttered. Fudge shouted something about the Hospital Wing, but everyone's voice was incoherent. They began to flock around Usagi, wondering if she was dead to, and all of Lee's shaking wouldn't rouse her. Still, her chest rose and fell lightly, so she couldn't be dead.

"Lee Jordan, she's probably exhausted. You don't want to hurt her further, do you?" Dumbledore asked lowly beside him. Lee stopped shaking the girl's shoulders as the headmaster's words sank in. The elderly man turned, opened his mouth to speak, and in one swift motion rose to his feet. "Where is Harry?"

A loud neighing sound broke through the noise. Several people screamed as a white blur descended on them, some raised wands, but everyone calmed when they seen the familiar white horse land ungracefully next to the crowd of people. A light engulfed the Pegasus, until it stood on two legs as its human form. Helios pushed his way through the crowd and to Usagi's side, looking frantic.

Immediately, he grabbed for the locket in her hand and pulled it from her loose fingers. Dumbledore was long gone by now, searching for Harry with a few others, but the rest of the school was glued to the dead Cedric Diggory and unmoving Japanese girl. As Helios clicked the locket open, his face contorted with something between shock and horror. Lee leaned over to see what he was looking at, and saw the picture in the locket.

Perplexed, he looked to the other side and saw the dull crystal sitting there, a defined crack running straight up the middle. Apparently this is what'd upset the Pegasus, because he traced his finger down it and winced as Usagi screamed. Wordlessly he scooped her up and turned towards Lee.

"Lead me to the infirmary." It was pretty much a command, but Lee didn't object in the least. He simply turned on his heel and rushed towards the castle, Helios behind him. The crowd of people, unsure of what to do, agreed it might not be the best idea to follow.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Lee finally asked, glaring at Helios as he sat the unconscious blonde on one of the beds in the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen, and Helios had nothing to do but glare back. 

"She was hit, okay? Just as Harry and she were teleporting away, she was hit. That," Helios pointed at the open locket that he'd placed back in Usagi's hands, "is the Ginzuishou. It's almost like a part of Usagi, and as you can see, it's been cracked."

"So what does that mean?" Lee asked slowly, quietly. Helios looked down at the lifeless girl, frowning.

"It means she could die."

* * *

(The end...see you next chapter! -is stoned to death- Kidding, sheesh!) 

"_Usagi,_" her blue eyes blurred the face hovering above her. She sat up shakily, feeling the hands of the person supporting her wobbling form. Usagi rubbed her eyes vigorously, until her vision was clear, and looked over at the unknown person. The familiar face smiled as the blonde's mouth dropped, and helped her to her feet.

"Rei-chan?" She asked in disbelief, staring dumbly into her friend's twinkling violet eyes. She simply nodded, laughing as Usagi pounced on her. Rei returned the embrace as Usagi shook against her, sobbing.

"_Don't cry odango atama._" Usagi glared indignantly, and they both stuck their tongues out at the same time. Laughing, Rei nodded her head behind the blonde, and Usagi turned. Her eyes welled up with tears once more as she studied the faces of her loyal sailor senshi.

"Am...Am I dead?" The blonde asked breathlessly, but the other girls only shook their heads.

"_Usa-chan, you're still alive, but the Ginzuishou was cracked._" Ami explained, stepping forward. Usagi ran over and hugged the senshi of ice before she questioned the statement.

"What does that mean?" She asked, tilting her head towards the blue-haired girl.

"_We're going to have to help you if you're going to live._" Minako said, grinning as Usagi launched herself towards her as well, enveloping the goddess of love in a bone-crushing hug.

"_Now I'm starting to feel left out._" Makoto whined from beside Minako, and then laughed as Usagi pounced on her next.

"Where's Mamoru? Chibiusa? The Outers?" The blonde questioned, looking around for them. Rei frowned slightly.

"_Only us four were allowed to see you. Mamoru says he loves you. He wants you to move on and be happy. He wants you to let him go._" She explained softly, frowning as Usagi's eyes brimmed with tears once more.

"_We, together, can repair the Ginzuishou._" Makoto said, making Usagi turn her head back to the towering brunette. There was something shining in the girl's green eyes that almost hurt.

"_But Usagi, we'll only do it if you want us to._" Ami offered, placing a hand on her shoulder. Usagi turned towards her, biting down on her lip.

"What do you mean?"

"_I mean, Usagi..._"

"_Do you want to live?_" Rei was standing beside her now, misty-eyed despite herself. Usagi latched onto her best friend, trembling like before, and Rei hugged her back.

"I'm sorry. I should've tried harder. I should've been stronger. I'm sorry for being foolish." The blonde sobbed, feeling the arms of her other three friends circling her as well.

"_Usagi, we aren't mad at you, don't ever think that._" Minako said softly.

"_We just want to see you happy._" Ami agreed.

"I do." The blonde whispered, pulling slightly back from Rei's shoulder. "I want to live."

"_That's what I wanted to hear, Odango._" Rei smiled down at her, before yelling, "_Mars Planet Power!_"

"_Venus Planet Power!_"

"_Mercury Planet Power!_"

"_Jupiter Planet Power!_" The four senshi stepped back, forming a circle around her. They clasped their hands together as their auras shone. Usagi closed her eyes, her crescent moon flickering to life on her forehead. The auras around the four girls shot from them, straight at the royal birthmark.

* * *

Usagi peeled her eyelids apart. Her breaths came in low, steady gasps of air as she sat up, her head throbbing painfully. As she moved her hand to wipe her sweat-covered brow, she felt it weighed down. Peering over at the bedside, she found Lee, his top half sprawled next to where she'd been laying on the bed moments before, and his hand latched onto hers. A smile touched her lips. 

When she turned her head, the grin only widened. Helios was passed out in a chair on the other side of the bed, curled up into a ball like a child. The only thing that could've made the scenario cuter would've been him sucking his thumb. In her other hand she felt the smooth metal of her locket, still clenched there for lord knows how long. The sun was just peeking through the tall windows of the Hospital Wing when Lee stirred beside her.

"Usagi?" The blonde couldn't suppress a giggle, as the boy had been in the middle of a yawn when he noticed her waking state. She nodded to his questioned, smiling brightly at Lee, who still had her hand in a death grip. Unable to contain himself, he pulled her towards him in one quick movement, holding on to her as tightly as he could.

Usagi breathed into his robes, unsure of how to react, but slowly she hugged him back. She hadn't been as close to someone in a long time, and found herself enjoying it. That is, until her breathing became difficult.

"Lee, I can't breathe." She gasped, smiling as he pulled away looking quite embarrassed.

"Sorry, but you've just been out of it for two weeks and Helios said that you could die and so--"

"Two weeks!" The blonde exclaimed, but quickly shushed as Helios stirred behind her. Lee nodded. Her head swam, considering it had only felt like ten minutes she'd been with her senshi before she woke up here. "What happened? Did they catch Voldemort? Is Harry okay?"

"Yes, Harry is fine. You'll have to ask him about the You-Know-Who thing, but not right now." Lee said firmly, recognizing the glint in the blonde's eyes as she reached for the covers. She pouted, giving him the best puppy eyes she could muster, but he was unwavering. "You almost died. I was worried. I'm not about to let you go running around Hogwarts. Besides, I'd rather have you here."

Usagi raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't have a chance to inquire before his lips claimed hers. She nearly squealed in shock, but stifled it as she closed her eyes. Her arms subconsciously wrapped around his neck, pulling them closer to each other. Before the kiss could be deepened, however, Helios coughed and the two immediately broke apart, red-faced.

"Well, well, already making out?" The Pegasus teased, laughing as Usagi swung hr pillow at his head.

"Why don't you go make out with Fleur?" She countered, effectively making Helios blush too. That was how Harry found them, all flushed like tomatoes and laughing.

"Harry!" The green-eyed boy hadn't time to blink before Usagi pounced on him. "Are you okay? What's been going on? Have they found Voldemort?"

"Um..." Harry pried the girl's arms off of him, leading her back over to the bed. With a slight sigh, he began to explain the parting of ways between Dumbledore and Fudge. Usagi listened raptly, solemnly, as he recalled the argument, the truce between Sirius and Snape, and everything else that'd happened since the night of the Third Task.

"So Voldemort is still out there?" The blonde questioned softly. Harry nodded slowly, looking quite gloomy as he stared out of the closest tall window, lost in his thoughts. "Hey now, don't look so glum. We may not have done so hot against that twerp this time, but next time we'll kick his butt!"

"What?" Harry turned back to the blonde, who was grinning like a mad woman. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head dismissively. "You're really something, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm serious!" Usagi said indignantly. Harry looked sideways at her before he grinned.

"It was a compliment."

* * *

The song lyrics used in the battle scene thing is from Sailor Moon, and it's called "Only a Memory Away." I just though it fit, so I used it. 

Ohayo! Just as a warning, this is not the end! I still have one more chapter/epilogue, so don't curse me out about a crappy ending. Please. Well, at least not until next chapter. I've been listening to too much My Chemical Romance lately, so shoot me. You can thank them for the inspiration to update this story. I'm disappointed with how this went, but the more I try to fix it, the worse it gets.

Look, I'm not very happy with how this turned out, but I'd like to hear specifically what you didn't like about it. I never planned to have Usagi kill Voldemort, because as the prophecy states, that's strictly Harry's job. I think I downplayed Harry too much, but we already know everything that happened from his point of view, right? Just review with a little more than 'it was good' or 'I liked it.' I need the criticism to get better, it's all I ask. With that in mind, review!

♥SachiNyoko♥ "To be a non-conformist, you have to dress in black, and listen to the same music we do." (Goth kid, South Park)


	21. Epilogue: Moving Forward

The end of the year descended upon Usagi much quicker than she would have liked. After some frustratingly rigorous cram sessions with Hermione, she managed to just scrape by on her make-up exams. Through all of the happenings of her first Hogwarts school year, she was going to be entering the fifth year next year after all. Smiling wistfully, she watched Helios and Fleur walk hand-in-hand across Hogwarts' grounds.

The part-Veela had elected to stay in England for the summer, and to most people the reason why appeared pretty obvious in the silver-haired boy she was always seen with. Luna had a place of residence somewhere nearby they would be staying in, but Usagi knew where she had to be this summer.

Harry had seemingly returned to normal, or he was a terribly good actor, but the subject of Voldemort was rarely brought up anymore. Pulling away from the window, Usagi made her way back to her trunk to place the last of her belongings inside.

As she clasped the thing shut, a small smile lifted her lips into a light curve. She never thought, at the beginning of this whole escapade, that she would have this sense of belonging. On top of that, she didn't expect the feeling of dread at leaving the school, any school for that matter. Unknowingly, the castle had become a part of her, and she would be looking forward to her next year.

"I got the owl from my parents, they say I'm allowed." The blonde turned, smile still stuck on her face as she met gazes with Lee. He grinned back, and offered his arm out to her. "I've come to escort you to the feast, fair lady."

Usagi giggled at his overdramatic tone, looping her arm with his. "Well then, I accept kind sir." She replied with equal enthusiasm. They both laughed as they descended the spiral staircase, meeting up with Harry in the common room. Ron and Hermione joined them moments later, and they all left for the Great Hall.

As soon as they entered, they were met with the noise of a whole school. Black banners hung behind the staff table, and along each wall, as a tribute to Cedric Diggory. An image of the lifeless boy flashed through Usagi mind, and she shook her head to rid herself of it, smiling over at the concerned expression of Lee. They seated themselves next to the Weasley twins just as Dumbledore rose from his seat, instantly silencing the hall.

"The end of another year," he smiled around at all of them, the candles reflecting off of his half-moon spectacles. The gesture faded as he paused on the Hufflepuff table. "There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight, but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here enjoying our feast with us."

No one in the hall spoke, or moved at all. It seemed like they were all holding their breath. A few sniffles cut the silence briefly, but Usagi didn't move to locate the grievers. Her eyes were tearing up as well, and she hadn't even known the boy. Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment, and then focused on the group of students once more. "I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."

The subsequent noise of shuffling echoed through the hall as everyone stood, wordlessly, and raised their goblets. "Cedric Diggory."

"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff House," the headmaster went on. "He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."

Usagi tensed in her seat, and exchanged a glance with Harry. He held the same panicked look, and they both stared up at Dumbledore apprehensively. The elderly man opened his mouth, and produced the sentence the two had been dreading. "Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore spoke, silencing the frantic whispers that had run through the student body, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so--either because they will not believe the Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think that I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory.

"There is someone else who must be mentioned in connection to Cedric's death," for one fleeting moment, Usagi thought it might be her, "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter. Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort. He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."

Dumbledore raised his goblet towards the raven-haired boy, and Usagi followed suit, breathing a silent sigh of relief that he hadn't mentioned her name. "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened, of Lord Voldemort's return, such ties are more important than ever."

"Every guest in this hall will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again, that in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."

"It is my belief, and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken, that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. Not long ago, a student was taken from our midst."

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

* * *

Usagi gazed indifferently out at the speeding scenery, barely glimpsing the blooming colors as they flashed through her vision. Her lips were twitching with suppressed mirth, trying her best not to laugh at the noise that drifted from the halls. Harry was looking at her suspiciously, not failing to notice the half-grin on her face, while Ron and Hermione peeked out of their compartment door. 

"Usagi, why do you have paint on your hands?" The green-eyed boy asked suddenly, causing the blonde to snort with laughter, shaking with silent amusement. Before she could answer the question, their compartment door slammed open, sending Ron and Hermione stumbling back to their seats. The sight in the doorway sent the whole group into hysterics.

"Tsukino," Draco growled, digging through his robes for his wand. Usagi grinned up at him, still chuckling slightly, and held up the wooden object.

"I borrowed it, hope you don't mind. I needed it to help me with that, you wouldn't want it rubbing off, right?" She giggled, pointing at his face. He glared, only making it seem twice as comical. His face was painted completely white. Over his left eye, there was a nice pink heart, a yellow star over the right eye. A red flower was painted on both of his cheeks. Ron was turning colors from laughing too hard.

"Take this stuff off." The blonde Slytherin demanded. From the wet tips of hair hanging in his eyes, Usagi could tell he'd already tried to wash it off with no success. She smiled sweetly at him, standing to face him at eye level.

"I will, once you apologize to me for what you did earlier this year." At Draco's perplexed expression, she pressed her lips together in a frown. "You know, your _revenge_."

"Fine, I'm sorry." The blonde spat out in annoyance, which caused Usagi to roll her eyes at him.

"That's the most pathetic apology I've ever heard. You can do better, Draco." She smiled a very sugary smile, not wavering under the intense glare he sent her.

"I'm so very sorry for what I did, now _please_." Usagi walked closer to him and pressed his wand in his hand.

"You know, I really don't hate you Draco, and I wish we could be friends. I hope you have a nice summer finding out how to get that off, or at least practicing your apologies." She pushed him out of the compartment gently, his face twisted into an angry scowl. He raised his wand towards her, and then saw the four wands raised against him, and thought better of it. He stalked off down the train.

"Nice tail, by the way!" Usagi called, laughing as Draco just discovered the white rabbit tail attached the back of his robes. Several people sticking their heads out of compartments laughed along with her as she retreated back to her own compartment. It didn't take long for Fred, George, and Lee to burst in, laughing their heads off as well.

"Well, it wasn't as good as the other prank, but it was good nonetheless." Fred commented.

"Yeah, and the rabbit tail was a nice touch." George said, looking pointedly at Usagi. She just grinned up at him. By some miracle, the seven of them managed to squeeze into the one compartment, talking on about nothing for the rest of the train ride.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Usagi nodded, her golden hair bouncing with the movement. Her blue eyes twinkled apprehensively as they climbed out of the taxi. The car pulled away, cabby returning the wave that the blonde sent his way. As the two walked up the driveway, Lee grasped onto her hand. She smiled over at him, unconsciously drawing in a breath to steady her nerves. 

They stopped in front of the door, the once navy blue paint faded from weather, and stood. Lee kept his eyes trained on Usagi as she stared at the entrance, eyes glazed over in thought. Through it, they heard the faint sounds of a woman humming and the soft padding of feet across linoleum. A smile pulled at her lips as she lifted her hand to knock on the door. Stopping once more, she let it drop to the knob.

She twisted the metal in her hands, pushing the door forward until it connected softly with the wall. The movement in the kitchen halted, and Usagi realized she was nearly trembling. She stepped into the entrance, standing on the welcome mat as the footsteps approached her. With one last calming breath, and Lee squeezing her hand, she smiled into the shocked brown eyes before her.

"Hi, mom."

* * *

Dare I say anything? -gets publicly stoned- Yes, that is the end and no there won't be a sequel anytime soon. In the mean time, drop by my less crappy stories and help meto justify this...

You guys, and everyone who reviewed this story, have helped me improve and continue writing, and I'm a better author because of it. It's been a long two and a half years, probably more for you guys than for me, and now it's over. I'm kinda sad. Ah well, there are other stories. Speaking of them...

SachiNyoko- "Heart attacks...God's revenge for eating his animal friends."


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